fcibrarp  of  Che  Cheolocjical  Seminary 

PRINCETON  *  NEW  JERSEY 

PRESENTED  BY 

John  Stuart  Conning,  D.D. 

BV  2063  . F6  1923  c.l  j 

Fleming,  Daniel  Johnson, 
1877-1969. 

Contacts  with  non-Christian  _ 

nil  t  nrec: _ 


CONTACTS  WITH 
NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 

A  Case  Book  in  the 
Christian  Movement  Abroad 


DANIEL  JOHNSON  FLEMING,  Ph.D. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/COntaCtSWithnonc00flem_0 


CONTACTS  WITH 
NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 

A  Case  Book  in  the 
Christian  Movement  Abroad 


BYv 

DANIEL  JOHNSON  FLEMING,  Ph.D. 

AUTHOR  OF  “MARKS  OF  A  WORLD  CHRISTIAN,”  “BUILDING  WITH 
INDIA,”  “SCHOOLS  WITH  A  MESSAGE  IN  INDIA,”  “DEVOLU¬ 
TION  IN  MISSION  ADMINISTRATION,”  ETC. 


NEW 


YORK 


GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1923, 


BY  GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES.  II 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


INTRODUCTION 


One  object  of  this  book  is  to  give  an  insight  into  cer¬ 
tain  features  of  the  missionary  task  which  are  not  ordi¬ 
narily  found  in  missionary  literature.  Even  when  the 
general  reader  does  not  care  to  grapple  with  the  detailed 
solutions,  it  is  hoped  that  the  mere  reading  of  these 
problem-situations  will  reveal  anew  how  varied  and  diffi¬ 
cult  are  the  issues  which  Christians  abroad  and  their  mis¬ 
sionary  co-workers,  must  face,  and  what  broadness  of 
sympathy  and  delicacy  of  feeling  they  must  bring  to  their 
task.  The  cases  given  are  not  hypothetical — they  have 
all  actually  demanded  the  thought  and  judgment  of  mis¬ 
sionaries  on  the  field. 

A  second  object  is  to  show,  through  concrete  illustra¬ 
tions  of  the  tasks  abroad,  how  such  subjects  as  ethics 
and  sociology,  economics  and  education,  history  and  law 
have  their  bearing  on  problems  raised  by  the  crossing  of 
cultures  and  religions.  After  a  perusal  of  these  problem- 
situations,  students  contemplating  foreign  service  may  re¬ 
turn  to  their  various  class  rooms  with  renewed  interest, 
a  more  definite  visualisation  of  the  work  ahead,  and  a 
truer  appreciation  of  the  kind  of  preparation  or  quality 
of  personality  needed. 

The  main  object,  however,  of  this  book  is  to  develop 
appropriate  sympathy,  to  organise  thought  with  reference 
to  the  impact  of  Christianity  upon  other  cultures  than 
our  own  through  a  process  of  thinking,  and  to  give 
practise  in  a  general  procedure 1  in  meeting  problems. 
This  procedure,  which  should  be  taken  up  with  each  of 

l  Cf.  Dewey,  John,  “How  to  Think,”  Chaps.  VI,  XV;  “Democracy  and 
Education,”  Chap.  XII. 


V 


INTRODUCTION 


these  problem-situations,  may  be  outlined  as  follows : 
a.  The  location  and  definition  of  a  felt  difficulty,  b.  The 
search  for  all  needed  data  to  make  a  correct  solution 
possible — lessons  of  history,  the  stage  of  native  experi¬ 
ence  or  opinion,  the  applications  of  the  teachings  of  Jesus, 
necessary  relevant  facts  in  the  situation  itself,  etc.  Here 
a  leader  should  not  fail  to  bring  out  analogous  situations 
in  the  West.  Such  parallels  will  not  only  help  in  solu¬ 
tions,  but  prevent  our  thinking  of  mission  lands  as  over- 
pathological.  c.  The  suggestion  of  solutions,  inferences, 
conjectural  meanings,  or  tentative  explanations,  which 
should  be  developed  in  an  orderly  way.  d.  The  test  of 
these  ideas  by  application  to  discover  their  full  meaning 
and  validity.  The  questions  at  the  end  of  each  section 
are  supplementary  to  this  general  procedure.  Where  the 
object  is  to  stimulate  a  student  to  become  an  active  rather 
than  a  passive  participant  in  discussion,  where  the  goal 
is  not  so  much  the  acquisition  of  information  as  the  de¬ 
velopment  of  capacity  for  interpreting  information,  and 
where  it  is  desirable  to  call  forth  the  power  of  distin¬ 
guishing  and  evaluating  various  elements  in  concrete  sit¬ 
uations  for  the  purpose  of  decision,  the  case  method  has 
a  place,  already  well  attested  both  in  law  and  business. 
This  method  in  mission  study  is  urged,  not  as  an  exclu¬ 
sive,  but  as  a  supplementary  method  to  those  already  in 
use.  It  can  make  valuable  contributions  to  what  may  be 
called  the  missionary  mind. 

Negatively,  it  cannot  be  too  clearly  asserted  that  the 
aim  is  not  to  provide  the  missionary  recruit  with  a  quiver 
of  ready-made  solutions.  There  is  no  wise  escape  from  a 
period  of  humble  apprenticeship  abroad.  In  fact  such  a 
study  as  this  ought  to  make  one  wary  of  detached  gen¬ 
eralisations  and  vague  abstractions.  It  is  evident  that 
conclusions  would  vary  not  only  with  different  fields,  but 
sometimes  with  different  localities  in  the  same  field. 
Many  procedures  can  be  fitly  criticised  only  in  connec- 

vi 


INTRODUCTION 


tion  with  the  full  circumstances  out  of  which  they  have 
arisen.  Solutions  to  problems  are  not  necessarily  final 
and  ultimate,  for  principles  and  methods  are  growing 
things,  not  lifeless  entities.  There  are  factors  in  some 
problems  which  cannot  be  appreciated  by  one  whose 
experience  has  been  only  in  the  West.  Moreover,  no 
printed  page  can  succeed  in  setting  up  the  living  situa¬ 
tion.  All  these  considerations  will  lead  the  young  stu¬ 
dent  to  suspend  ultimate  judgment.  However,  with  such 
data  and  understanding  as  the  reader  may  acquire  con¬ 
cerning  any  given  case,  a  tentative  decision  may  be  made, 
with  a  full  realisation  that  this  decision  would  very  likely 
have  to  be  changed  in  the  face  of  a  living  situation. 

The  author  does  not  forget  that  increasingly  the  rising 
Churches  on  the  mission  field  are  assuming  responsibility 
for  many  of  the  matters  mentioned  in  this  book.2  In 
fact  in  one  or  two  of  the  most  advanced  fields  native 
leaders  would  resent  any  paternalism  on  the  part  of  a 
Westerner  in  such  questions.  Yet  the  missionary  cannot 
afford  to  be  ignorant  or  unprepared  when  advice  is 
sought. 

It  is  advisable  that  the  cases  to  be  studied  should  be 
available  for  individual  consideration  and  if  possible  for 
discussion  in  small  groups  before  the  class  meeting.  If 
this  is  not  done  much  time  is  lost  in  getting  the  situation 
before  the  class,  and  superficial  opinions  find  expression 
rather  than  reasoned  judgments.  Such  slipshod  work  is 
apt  to  form  a  habit  of  careless  decision.  At  a  certain 
stage  the  method  of  arriving  at  a  solution  is  more  im¬ 
portant  than  the  solution  itself.  To  cover  a  few  prob¬ 
lems  thoroughly  may  be  better  than  many  superficially. 
The  student,  therefore,  should  be  expected  to  study  and 
analyse  the  problems  in  some  small  discussion  group, 

2  For  example,  a  special  committee  on  the  Chinese  Church,  appointed  by 
the  China  Continuation  Committee  and  composed  almost  entirely  of  Chinese, 
has  made  two  valuable  reports  on  the  relation  of  the  Church  to  polygamy, 
ancestor  worship  and  other  social  questions  (Report  of  the  China  Continua¬ 
tion  Committee,  1917,  pp.  36-41;  1918,  pp.  32-38). 

YU 


INTRODUCTION 


and  then  possibly  to  embody  his  conclusions  in  writing, 
before  coming  to  the  large  group  discussions. 

The  cases  here  presented  do  not  record,  in  every  in¬ 
stance,  ideal  missionary  action.  This  fact  will  necessitate 
the  exercise  of  constant  discrimination.  In  order  to  safe¬ 
guard  the  intellectual  freedom  and  self-reliance  of  the 
student  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  embarrass  the  dis¬ 
cussion  with  the  writer’s  judgment  on  the  questions 
raised.  Nor  are  all  the  cases  complete.  From  a  few, 
facts  essential  for  a  complete  decision  have  been  omitted. 
Here  the  student  will  have  to  make  one  or  more  hy¬ 
potheses,  and  judge  on  the  basis  of  the  case  thus  supple¬ 
mented.  Moreover  both  relevant  and  irrelevant  descrip¬ 
tive  material  will  be  found,  thus  affording  practise  in  the 
selection  of  facts  which  should  be  determinative  in  mak¬ 
ing  a  judgment. 

In  many  instances  there  is  no  absolutely  right  or  abso¬ 
lutely  wrong  answer.  Many  things  in  missionary  practise 
are  matters  of  judgment  based  in  each  case  on  individual 
expediency.  It  would  be  a  mistake  for  a  leader  to  insist 
pedantically  that  his  solution  is  the  right  one.  The  opin¬ 
ions  of  each  member  of  the  class  should  be  given  consid¬ 
eration,  and  the  reasons  why  one  solution  of  a  problem 
is  better  than  another  should  be  carefully  weighed. 

Very  likely  no  group  will  be  able  to  discuss  all  the 
cases  given.  It  is  hoped  that  both  leaders  and  groups  will 
be  able  to  exercise  some  latitude  in  the  choice  of  both 
cases  and  questions  under  any  given  case  to  suit  the  tastes 
and  capacities  of  the  students  concerned. 

Some  may  at  first  sight  question  the  wisdom  of  bring¬ 
ing  such  problems  as  these  before  those  who  have  not  yet 
reached  the  field.  But  the  writer  has  found  that  a 
journey  of  ten  thousand  miles  does  not  in  itself  bestow 
skill  and  wisdom;  nor  does  the  young  recruit  find  him¬ 
self  surrounded  with  a  well-worked-out  series  of  rea¬ 
soned  precedents  which  might  be  called  the  science  of 

•  •  • 

Vlll 


INTRODUCTION 


missions.  No  one  who  reads  these  cases  should  relieve 
himself  from  the  effort  of  hard  thought,  on  the  supposi¬ 
tion  that  difficulty  in  decision  comes  simply  because  he  has 
never  lived  on  a  mission  field.  Actual  residence  abroad 
undoubtedly  gives  one  an  advantage  in  solving  problems 
such  as  are  raised  here,  but  the  advantage  is  not  so  great 
as  many  would  imagine.  Problems  come  to  a  missionary 
suddenly,  or  when  he  is  alone  in  his  station.  More  often 
the  deeply  bought  experience  of  fellow  missionaries  in  his 
and  other  fields  has  never  been  mobilised  so  that  it  is 
available  to  him.  He  has  to  rely  on  the  capacity  to  think 
just  as  a  person  here  must  do.  In  the  study  of  any 
given  problem  most  students  in  the  West  will  have  ready 
access  to  possibilities  of  consultation  which  many  an  iso¬ 
lated  missionary  would  covet — professors  of  Bible,  ethics, 
history,  economics,  and  sociology,  who  will  be  able  to 
check  or  to  supplement  their  judgments  at  various  points. 
As  will  be  seen,  many  of  these  situations  simply  present 
home  problems  in  a  sharper  light.  A  wise  and  experi¬ 
enced  missionary  on  furlough  would  bring  to  a  group  a 
sympathetic  appreciation  of  local  conditions  and  of  the 
background  from  which  problems  emerge.  The  presence 
of  such  a  one  should  greatly  enhance  the  value  of  the 
discussion,  and  make  possible  more  intelligent  conclu¬ 
sions. 

These  cases  could  never  have  been  secured  without  the 
generous  help  of  active  missionaries — some  interviewed 
during  a  trip  around  the  world  in  1919-20,  others  from 
among  the  large  body  of  returned  missionaries  studying 
in  New  York  each  year,  and  still  others  who  could  be 
reached  only  by  correspondence.  I  desire  especially  to 
acknowledge  the  interest  and  co-operation  of  the  Student 
Volunteer  Movement  in  the  publication  of  these  cases. 

So  far  as  the  writer  knows  this  is  the  first  attempt  to 
organise  a  case  book  for  mission  study.  He  is  aware 
of  many  gaps  and  imperfections.  As  an  introductory 

ix 


INTRODUCTION 


book  it  is  intentionally  more  discursive  than  would  be  a 
text  for  advanced  study.  But  if  this  first  approximation 
should  vindicate  the  method,  a  systematic  effort  will  be 
made  to  improve  the  choice  and  range  of  cases  and  the 
technique  of  their  development  for  group  discussion. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTION . v 

USE  AS  A  SOURCE  BOOK . xiii 

I  MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY  ...  17 

1.  Survivals  of  Superstition  Among  Christians  .  .  18 

2.  Adaptation  to  the  Superstitious  Thought  of  Non- 

Christians  . 24 

3.  Clash  in  Proprieties . 30 

4.  Hereditary  Occupations  More  or  Less  Idolatrous  34 

5.  The  Sublimation  of  Non-Christian  Customs  .  .  40 

II  ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS  .  46 

1.  Assisting  Non-Christian  Worship  and  Organisa¬ 

tion  . 46 

2.  Support  of  Idolatry . 51 

3.  Adaptation  to  Non-Christian  Religious  Thought  .  53 

4.  The  Disposal  of  Old  Objects  of  Worship  .  .  59 

5.  The  Choice  of  Symbols  for  Christian  Use  .  .  62 

6.  Concerning  the  Light  Which  Lighteth  Every  Man  65 

III  RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE  ....  69 

1.  Strict  Adherence  to  Known  Health  Standards  .  69 

2.  The  Acceptance  of  Lower  Standards  for  Native 

Associates . 72 

3.  Drawing  Racial  Lines . 78 

4.  Westerners  Under  Native  Control  ....  81 

5.  Demanding  One’s  Rights  and  Appeal  to  Law  .  .  83 

6.  Securing  Justice  for  Native  Christians  ...  87 

7.  Harbouring  Refugees . 92 

IV  PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS . 94 

1.  Salaries  for  Mission  Assistants . 94 

2.  The  Use  of  Funds  from  Non-Christian  Sources  .  95 

3.  Missionary  Assistance  to  a  Native  Christian  Enter¬ 

prise  . 98 

4.  The  Limitation  of  Economic  Help  to  Christians  .  99 

5.  Means  of  Securing  Mission  Property  .  .  .  102 

6.  The  Development  of  Self-support  ....  106 


xi 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 


V  THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY . Ill 

1.  Western  Wedding  Ways  Unacceptable  .  .  .  112 

2.  Working  Out  a  Christian  Marriage  Ceremony  .  115 

3.  Supplanting  Parental  Authority . 119 

4.  Doubtful  Social  Customs . 122 

5.  Polygamous  Husbands . 126 

6.  Wives  of  Polygamists . •  133 

7.  Christian  Marriage  for  Those  Previously  Married 

Under  Non-Christian  Rites . 138 

8.  Mixed  Marriages . 139 


VI  SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE . 

1.  Observance  of  Sunday  by  Non-Christians 

2.  Observance  of  Sunday  by  Christians  . 

3.  The  Problem  for  Illiterate  and  Uncultured  Chris¬ 

tians  . 

4.  Games  on  Sunday . 

5.  The  Time  Limits  for  Sunday . 


142 

142 

145 

151 

153 

155 


VII  DECISION  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 

1.  The  Time  and  Conditions  of  Baptism 

2.  Harbouring  and  Assisting  Runaways  . 

3.  Baptism  by  a  Woman  Missionary 

4.  Purdah  Women  and  the  Sacraments  . 


157 

157 

162 

167 

168 


VIII  PROBLEM  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME  .  171 

1.  Standards  of  ^Esthetic  Expression  Advisable  for  a 

Missionary . 171 

2.  Idols  as  Ornaments . 176 

3.  Personal  Adjustments . 177 

4.  Dishonesty  in  Servants . 180 

5.  Non-Christians  Sharing  in  Family  Prayers  .  .  181 

6.  Maintaining  Spiritual  Renewal . 182 

INDEX . 187 


xn 


USE  AS  A  SOURCE  BOOK 

I :  FOR  VARIOUS  COUNTRIES 


In  taking  up  the  study  of  a  certain  country,  possibly  in 
connection  with  the  current  mission  study  text  for  a  given 
year,  it  may  prove  desirable  to  have  these  cases  available 
for  discussion  by  countries : 

Africa,  c,  p.  19;  Sec.  1,  p.  94;  e,  p.  113;  Sec.  3,  p.  120;  b,  p.  123; 

g,  p.  136;  Sec.  7,  p.  138;  c,  p.  140;  e,  p.  147. 

China,  b,  p.  18;  g ,  p.  26;  h,  p.  28;  i,  p.  28;  d,  p.  31;  f,  p.  32; 

h,  p.  32;  i,  p.  33;  a,  p.  34;  b,  p.  35;  Sec.  5,  p.  43;  Sec.  2, 
p.  51;  b,  p.  52;  e,  p.  58;  c,  p.  64;  a,  p.  65;  d,  p.  66;  e,  p.  67; 
d,  p.  70;  b,  p.  74;  /,  p.  75;  b,  p.  84;  d,  p.  85;  Sec.  6,  p.  87; 

a,  p.  88;  b,  p.  88;  c,  p.  89;  e,  p.  91;  Sec.  7,  p.  92;  Sec.  3,  p. 
98;  a,  p.  102;  b,  p.  103;  c,  p.  103;  f,  p.  108;  a,  p.  120;  b,  p. 
123;  5,  p.  132;  d,  p.  134;  e,  p.  134;  f,  p.  135;  a,  p.  139;  b, 
p.  139;  a,  p.  142;  d,  p.  143;  e,  p.  144;  Sec.  2,  p.  145;  a,  p.  146; 

b,  p.  147;  c,  p.  147;  a,  p.  152;  b,  p.  152;  b,  p.  153;  Sec.  1, 

p.  172;  Sec.  1,  p.  173;  Sec.  1,  p.  174;  Sec.  2,  p.  176;  b,  p. 

178;  Sec.  5,  p.  182. 

Egypt,  b,  p.  66;  Sec.  5,  p.  155. 

India,  a,  p.  18;  e ,  p.  20;  f,  p.  21;  a,  p.  24;  e,  p.  26;  f,  p.  26;  b, 

p.  31 ;  e,  p.  31 ;  c,  p.  36 ;  e,  p.  36 ;  Sec.  5,  p.  42 ;  c,  p.  47 ;  d,  p. 

48 ;  a,  p.  54 ;  e,  p.  56 ;  d,  p.  58 ;  c,  p.  60 ;  d,  p.  60 ;  e,  p.  61 ; 
g,  p.  62;  c,  p.  66 ;  a,  p.  69 ;  a,  p.  74 ;  e,  p.  75 ;  a,  p.  78 ;  b,  p.  79; 
Sec.  4,  p.  81;  a,  p.  83;  d,  p.  90;  a,  p.  99;  c,  p.  100;  c,  p.  106; 
a,  p.  112;  d,  p.  112;  f,  p.  114;  Sec.  2,  p.  115;  Sec.  3,  p.  120;  b, 

p.  121;  a,  p.  122;  b,  p.  127;  c,  p.  128;  5,  p.  132;  b,  p.  142;  Sec. 

2,  p.  145;  d,  p.  147;  b,  p.  157;  d,  p.  158;  e,  p.  158;  Sec.  2,  p. 

162;  Sec.  3,  p.  167;  a,  p.  168;  Sec.  1,  p.  172;  Sec.  1,  p.  173; 

Sec.  1,  p.  174;  Sec.  2,  p.  177;  Sec.  6,  p.  183. 

Japan,  Sec.  5,  p.  41 ;  a,  p.  46;  b,  p.  63 ;  j,  p.  71 ;  Sec.  4,  p.  81 ;  c, 
p.  84;  Sec.  2,  p.  95;  d,  p.  107;  e,  p.  107;  h,  p.  109;  e,  p.  144; 
f,  p.  144;  g,  p.  149;  c,  p.  152;  a,  p.  153;  a,  p.  157. 

Korea,  d,  p.  20;  d ,  p.  36;  e,  p.  70;  a,  p.  106;  i,  p.  109;  d,  p.  129; 

c,  p.  143. 

•  •  • 

Xlll 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 

Latin-America,  f,  p.  149;  c,  p.  153. 

Near  East,  c,  p.  25 ;  a,  p.  30 ;  b,  p.  36 ;  e,  p.  49 ;  b,  p.  55 ;  e,  p.  85 ; 
e,  p.  104;  f,  p.  104;  b,  p.  106;  Sec.  5,  p.  155. 

Philippines,  d,  p.  154. 

Siam,  d,  p.  25;  a,  p.  78;  b,  p.  123;  Sec.  1,  p.  174. 

II :  FOR  VARIOUS  UNIVERSITY  SUBJECTS 

It  may  seem  desirable  to  bring  some  of  these  situations 
into  the  college  class  room  for  discussion.  While  recog¬ 
nising  that  any  one  case  may  be  taken  up  from  several 
angles  (ethical,  economic,  sociological,  etc.)  and  that 
therefore  any  classification  is  more  or  less  arbitrary,  yet 
an  indication  of  major  emphasis  may  be  given  in  most 
cases. 

Economics.  The  following  references  may  be  given  for  this 
subject:  Sec.  4,  p.  34;  Sec.  2,  p.  51;  Sec.  2,  p.  72;  Sec.  5,  p. 
82;  Chapt.  IV,  pp.  94-110;  Chapt.  VI,  pp.  142-156;  Sec.  1, 
p.  171 ;  Sec.  4,  p.  180. 

Education,  in  the  sense  of  modification  of  the  bonds  between 
situation  and  response,  is  involved  wherever  the  question  is 
raised  as  to  the  way  of  producing  changes  in  character.  In¬ 
terest  in  this  modification  of  response  recurs  throughout  the 
book  (for  example,  in  questions  3,  p.  22;  4,  5,  6,  p.  23;  9,  p. 
24;  3,  4,  p.  30;  3,  4,  6,  p.  34;  7,  p.  40;  2,  5,  p.  44;  7,  p.  45) 
and  need  not  be  indicated  in  detail. 

Ethics.  Practically  every  situation  given  in  the  book  may  be  con¬ 
sidered  from  the  standpoint  of  conscience,  morals,  or  the  de¬ 
termination  of  what  is  right.  See,  however,  Sec.  5,  p.  102. 

Law.  See  Sec.  5,  p.  83 ;  Sec.  6,  p.  87 ;  Sec.  7,  p.  92. 

Medical.  See  b,  p.  24;  Sec.  1,  p.  69;  a,  p.  74;  b,  c,  p.  74;  d,  f, 
p.  75 ;  a,  p.  78 ;  b,  c,  p.  79. 

Sociology.  As  dealing  with  the  customs  or  mores  of  different 
peoples,  most  of  the  material  of  this  book  could  be  taken  up 
under  the  head  of  sociology.  In  particular,  attention  may  be 
directed  to  Chapters  I  and  V. 

Study  of  Religions.  Chapter  II,  and  index  under  such  topics  as 
“Animism,”  “Buddhism,”  “Confucianism,”  “Hinduism,”  “Mu¬ 
hammadanism,”  and  “Taoism.” 


xiv 


CONTACTS  WITH 
NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


i 


CONTACTS  WITH 
NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


Chapter  I 

MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 

It  would  be  hard  to  exaggerate  the  importance  of  the 
attitude  of  both  missionary  and  Christian  converts  to 
customs  and  beliefs  of  doubtful  expediency.  On  the  one 
hand  is  the  charge  against  missions  that  their  general 
effect  is  denationalising.  The  more  educated  and  cul¬ 
tured  classes  in  non-Christian  communities  have  often 
bitterly  resented  what  appears  to  them  as  disregard  of 
native  social  customs  and  thoughts.  Hence  the  Christian 
church  dare  not  lightly  ignore  or  denounce  a  given  prac¬ 
tice.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  the  danger  that  con¬ 
verts  may  bring  over  into  Christian  worship  and  thought 
pagan  forms  and  spirit.  Christianity’s  purity  and  trans¬ 
forming  power  depend  upon  the  elimination  of  all  ele¬ 
ments  which  are  out  of  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  Christ. 
Constant  discrimination,  therefore,  must  be  exercised  to 
separate  the  good  from  the  unwholesome  in  a  people’s 
heritage. 

With  reference  to  some  practices,  missionary  attitude 
has  changed  from  one  generation  to  another.  Even 
in  any  one  period  there  may  be  differences  of  opinion 
with  reference  to  certain  doubtful  customs  or  beliefs. 
Are  the  objectionable  customs  so  manifestly  part  of  the 

17 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


old  way  of  life  that  they  cannot  be  kept  without  en¬ 
dangering  the  new?  Or  is  a  particular  custom  suffi¬ 
ciently  free  from  viciousness  to  make  careful  discrimi¬ 
nation  and  tenderness  of  handling  advisable?  May  a 
given  superstition,  although  manifestly  wrong  in  itself, 
be  so  interwoven  with  the  whole  structure  of  social  life 
as  to  make  a  bald  prohibition  impossible?  The  young 
worker  abroad  does  not  always  find  agreement  in  answers 
to  such  questions  and  must  think  anew  for  himself. 

1.  SURVIVALS  OF  SUPERSTITION  AMONG  CHRISTIANS 

a.  Auspicious  days.  Folks  the  world  over  have  their 
lucky  and  unlucky  days.  New  clothes  must  not  be  donned 
on  Wednesday.  To  lend  or  borrow  on  Saturday  is  un¬ 
lucky.  A  missionary  in  India  was  asked  by  a  native 
pastor  to  set  a  date  for  his  son’s  wedding.  Knowing  that 
many  Christians  were  continuing  to  insist  on  astrologi- 
cally  auspicious  days,  the  missionary  purposely  found  out 
the  day  most  inauspicious  according  to  non-Christian 
ideas  and  set  that  for  the  wedding.  The  pastor  and  his 
son  acquiesced,  but  it  was  evident  that  they  feared  the 
consequences  of  this  decision.  The  Hindu  relatives  would 
not  come  to  the  wedding.  Around  the  whole  ceremony 
and  entertainment  there  was  a  forced  atmosphere  which 
was  certainly  not  joyous. 

b.  Lucky  sites.  There  is  in  China  a  strange  mixture 
of  religion,  magic,  and  attempts  at  science  known  as 
feng  shui.  It  fixes  the  place  where  a  grave  is  to  be  made  ; 
it  settles  the  direction  toward  which  a  cemetery  gate 
should  open ;  it  determines  the  placing  of  trees  about  a 
tomb.  Scholar  and  official  as  well  as  humble  peasant  are 
swayed  by  considerations  of  feng  shui.  It  is  an  ingrained 
impulse  to  desire  that  their  dead  should  be  buried  in  a 
lucky  spot.  It  is  the  custom,  therefore,  to  consult 

18 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


necromancers  to  determine  where  the  “wind  and  water” 
are  favourable.  A  deacon  of  the  Christian  church  in  West 
China  had  to  bury  his  daughter-in-law.  She  had  not  been 
a  member  of  the  church,  but  her  husband  was.  The 
deacon’s  wife  was  a  stubborn  Taoist,  who  had  no  sym¬ 
pathy  with  her  husband’s  affiliation  with  the  Christian 
church.  Knowing  this,  the  members  of  the  church  were  in¬ 
clined  to  believe  the  charge  that  the  parents  had  consulted 
a  necromancer  for  a  lucky  site  for  the  grave,  although  it 
was  to  be  located  in  the  Christian  cemetery.  The  deacon 
protested  that  there  had  been  no  such  consultation,  but 
the  members  voted  that  he  should  prove  it  by  being  will¬ 
ing  to  move  the  grave  a  yard  or  two  to  either  side.  The 
luck,  thereby,  would  be  ruined  and  all  doubts  dispelled. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  to  move  a  grave  is  the  very 
worst  thing  one  could  do  to  the  dead  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Chinese,  the  deacon  had  the  transfer  made.  This  cost 
him  much  loss  of  “face”  and  several  scenes  with  his 
superstitious  wife,  not  to  mention  the  parents  of  the  girl 
who  were,  like  the  mother-in-law,  non-Christian  and  very 
superstitious. 

c.  Grave  salutes.  A  missionary  in  the  Belgian  Congo, 
on  arriving  at  a  certain  local  church,  found  that  one 
of  the  deacons  and  some  other  members  of  the  church 
had  joined  with  non-Christian  friends  in  firing  off  gun¬ 
powder  over  the  graves  of  the  dead.  The  people  do  this 
to  frighten  away  the  evil  spirits.  The  missionary  feared 
that  if  this  custom  were  followed  many  other  non-Chris¬ 
tian  customs  would  gradually  be  adopted  by  the  native 
Christians.  On  remonstrating  with  the  Christians,  they 
replied  that  they  did  not  believe  in  the  custom,  but  had 
complied  with  the  request  of  their  friends  for  two  reasons. 
They  wanted  to  remain  in  friendly  relations  with  their 
non-Christian  neighbours  and  did  not  believe  they  were 
violating  any  of  the  laws  of  God  in  doing  what  they 

19 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


did.  They  said  they  also  wanted  to  show  respect  to  the 
dead,  but  that  their  customs  of  doing  so  were  different 
from  those  of  the  white  man.  The  deacon,  waxing  elo¬ 
quent,  said  if  there  was  any  place  in  the  Scriptures  that 
prohibited  the  firing  of  gunpowder  over  the  graves  of 
the  dead  to  show  it  to  him  and  he  would  cease  from 
doing  so. 

d.  Mourning.  In  Korea  it  is  a  general  custom  for  a 
son  whose  father  has  died  to  wear  an  enormous  hat, 
about  two  feet  in  diameter  and  two  feet  high,  made  of 
split  reeds.  The  wearer  often  has  to  steady  it  with  his 
hands  as  he  walks,  and  it  is  so  large  that  in  the  crowded 
vehicles,  it  is  hung  on  the  outside.  The  hat  is  fashioned 
so  that  it  comes  down  over  his  head.  The  ancient  theory 
is  that  the  father’s  death  was  caused  by  some  unfilial  act 
or  other  sin  of  the  son,  and  that  hence  the  son  is  not 
worthy  of  looking  at  the  heavens  for  a  time.  Koreans 
are  insistent  on  the  custom  and  may  stone  a  funeral  pro¬ 
cession  where  the  custom  is  not  observed.  Some  church 
officials  may  be  induced  to  forbid  it;  but  in  general  they 
take  no  notice  if  Christians  adhere  to  this  custom.  The 
Christians  have  ceased  to  put  up  ancestral  tablets,  but  this 
public  practice  remains.  A  missionary  urging  that  the 
practice  be  given  up,  on  utilitarian  as  well  as  on  theoreti¬ 
cal  grounds,  was  answered  by  a  Korean  leader  who  said 
that  it  was  only  a  custom  and  that  few  people  knew  or 
cared  what  it  originally  signified. 

e.  Using  a  husband's  name.  A  widespread  supersti¬ 
tion  among  Indian  women  makes  them  fear  to  mention 
their  husband’s  names.  Sometimes  this  becomes  evident 
in  a  Christian  marriage,  where  the  bride  is  supposed  to 

repeat  after  the  person  officiating,  “I,  - ,  take - as 

my  legal  husband.”  In  consideration  of  this  feeling 
should  the  form  be  changed  to,  “Do  you  take  -  to 

20 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


be  your  legal  husband?”,  to  which  the  mere  answer, 
“Yes,”  could  be  given? 

f.  The  chuttiya.  Hindus  have  a  custom  of  allowing  a 
slender,  sacred  lock  of  hair  at  the  crown  of  the  head — 
the  chuttiya — to  remain  uncut.  In  most  parts  of  the 
country  no  orthodox  Hindu  could  be  found  without  this 
distinctive  religious  mark.  Its  origin  is  obscure.  Most 
can  give  no  reason  for  it.  Only  after  many  inquiries 
does  one  learn  that  it  is  a  place  for  evil  spirits  to  rest 
so  they  will  not  enter  the  head,  or  that  it  provides  a 
handle  for  pulling  a  person  out  of  hell.  An  ever-perplex¬ 
ing  question  among  missionaries  has  been  whether  a  man 
should  be  baptised  who  retains  his  chuttiya. 

Some  missions  make  it  an  absolute  rule  to  insist  on  the 
cutting  of  the  chuttiya  before  baptism.  They  would  say 
that  Hinduism  is  made  up  of  outward  things ;  if  they  are 
giving  up  Hinduism,  let  them  give  up  this  one  of  its  out¬ 
ward  marks.  It  is,  some  argue,  at  least  a  tie  to  the  old 
idolatrous  life,  and  therefore  should  be  given  up,  even 
if  not  actually  idolatrous  or  immoral  itself.  Some  point 
to  the  bad  results  of  the  superficial  Christianisation  of 
the  masses  in  Europe  in  the  fourth  and  following  cen¬ 
turies  and  say,  “If  you  let  enough  chuttiyas  in  the  church 
it  won’t  be  Christian.” 

Other  missionaries  hold  that  it  is  only  a  social  custom, 
a  mere  matter  of  style,  and  that  most  of  the  people  could 
not  give  you  any  explanation  of  the  practice.  One  mis¬ 
sionary  in  South  India  definitely  preaches  against  cutting 
off  the  chuttiya  at  baptism,  since  the  removal  of  the 
chuttiya  helps  to  denationalise  the  convert  in  the  eyes  of 
other  Indians.  Another  in  direct  disobedience  to  the 
ruling  of  his  Presbytery  baptised  twenty  converts  with¬ 
out  cutting  their  chuttiyas.  Two  hundred  more  at  once 
presented  themselves.  With  such  a  large  Christian  com- 

21 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


munity  it  was  easy  for  them  later  to  adopt  the  Christian 
style,  and  few  chuttiyas  are  now  left. 

Picture  now  the  problem  which  sent  an  able  mission¬ 
ary  to  his  knees  in  prayer  for  guidance  three  years  ago. 
His  mission  had  done  work  among  the  higher  castes,  and 
in  a  hundred  years  had  had  less  than  a  hundred  converts. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  in  this  mission  to  be  assigned 
to  work  among  the  outcastes.  At  last  to  a  marked  extent 
he  had  won  their  confidence.  Literally  thousands  were 
ready  to  be  baptised.  The  one  remaining  obstacle  was  the 
chuttiya.  The  sentiment  in  his  mission  was  overwhelm¬ 
ingly  that  the  chuttiyas  should  be  cut.  He  himself  felt 
that  seventy-five  years  hence  the  chuttiyas  would  very 
likely  all  be  gone.  It  was  not  so  clear  that  seventy-five 
years  hence  there  would  be  a  Christian  community,  unless 
a  start  was  made  in  Christian  life  and  education.  As  one 
of  the  younger  members  of  this  mission  should  he  go 
against  its  tradition?  The  question  that  made  him  lie 
awake  at  night  was  as  to  what  procedure  would  produce 
the  best  church  seven  or  eight  decades  in  the  future. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  similar  survivals  have  we  among  western  Christians 
(e.g.,  refusal  to  be  married  on  the  13th,  or  on  Friday)  ?  What 
should  be  our  attitude  toward  such  customs  in  the  West? 

2.  What  is  the  most  valuable  category  to  apply  when  judging 
a  given  foreign  custom — the  validity  of  its  underlying  roots  or 
implications,  its  various  consequences,  its  conformity  to  the  pros¬ 
perity-policy  of  the  local  group,  its  conformity  to  Western  mores, 
or  something  else?  Test  your  answer  by  applying  it  to  one  of 
the  cases  given  above. 

3.  There  are  various  stages  of  ethical  development  which  may 
be  attained  by  a  people.  Will  the  means  whereby  sensitiveness 
of  conscience  may  be  best  developed  differ  in  the  different  stages? 
Or  is  there  some  absolute  standard  that  should  be  urged  at 
whatever  stage  a  people  may  be?  Choose  one  of  the  cases  cited 
and  sketch  with  reference  to  it  the  most  educative  plan  you  can 
frame. 


22 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


4.  With  reference  to  this  whole  realm  of  adjustment  of 
standards,  which  of  the  following  principles  would  you  feel  like 
adopting,  and  why? 

(a)  In  the  infancy  of  the  church,  it  may  be  right  and  necessary 
to  lay  down  a  strict  rule  and  to  require  observance  of  it,  until 
the  outlook  of  the  Christian  community  has  been  widened,  its 
tone  raised,  and  its  conscience  instructed  so  that  the  rule  as  a 
strict  precept  may  be  relaxed,  and  the  decision  left  to  the  indi¬ 
vidual  conscience,  now  purified  and  alive  to  the  issues  at  stake. 

(b)  Some  things  that  are  judged  undesirable  may  be  tolerated 
during  the  childhood  of  the  church,  while  intelligence  grows  to 
clear  conviction,  and  then  with  the  support  of  the  maturer 
judgment  of  the  Christian  community,  a  rule  may  be  laid  down 
which  will  be  enforced  by  the  hearty  consent  of  the  people,  as 
embodying  their  own  conception  of  the  mind  of  Christ. 

5.  In  determining  procedure  in  doubtful  cases  care  should  be 
taken  to  awaken  a  spiritual  conscience  in  the  person  concerned. 
It  is  also  well  to  secure  the  enlightened  sympathy  of  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  local  church  with  a  proposed  practice.  In  any  of 
the  preceding  cases  was  an  opportunity  for  such  higher  education 
missed?  Specify. 

6.  Protestantism  of  the  West  has  sometimes  been  accused  of 
being  too  negative.  Certain  it  is  that  an  increasing  impatience  is 
being  manifested  by  the  present  generation  toward  mere  nega¬ 
tions.  Constructive  suggestion  should  go  along  with  destructive 
prohibition.  For  example,  take  case  d  above.  After  considering 
the  ideal  way  for  a  Christian  (not  merely  a  Westerner)  to  act 
when  a  loved  one  dies,  what  would  you  advise  as  a  substitute 
for  the  Korean  custom? 

7.  Criticise  the  following  principles  adopted  by  various  mis¬ 
sionaries,  and  illustrate,  if  possible,  the  application  of  any  that 
are  approved : 

(a)  “I  make  my  decision  dependent  upon  what  the  candidate 
for  baptism  thinks  about  the  questionable  custom.  If  it  is 
against  his  conscience,  I  make  abstention  a  condition  of  baptism. 
If  not,  I  expect  it  to  be  sloughed  off  later.” 

(b)  “Most  Chinese  weddings  that  I  have  conducted  have  been 
on  auspicious  days.  But  since  in  any  given  case  the  matter  is 
not  brought  directly  to  my  attention,  I  have  taken  no  notice  of 
it.” 

(c)  “My  object  is  not  to  get  a  particular  thing  done  right 
according  to  my  ideas.  It  is  to  help  people  grow.” 

(d)  “In  a  reformatory  you  must  not  see  certain  things.  A 

23 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


teacher  cannot  be  a  policeman.  I  try  to  overlook  wisely  and 
teach.” 

(e)  “You  may  instil  lying  in  a  child  by  making  too  much  of 
a  slight  falsehood.  By  reducing  a  particular  act  too  boldly  or 
quickly  to  a  general  sin  you  may  only  make  a  child  feel  that  the 
big  sin  is  easy.  I  apply  this  principle  to  doubtful  customs.” 

8.  In  which,  if  any,  of  these  cases  would  it  be  wise  for  the 
missionary  to  refuse  to  be  arbiter  or  judge,  on  the  ground  that 
the  question  concerned  native  custom  and  should  be  settled  by 
the  church  courts  of  the  people  concerned? 

9.  “The  essence  of  democracy  is  in  carrying  the  people  with 
you  along  such  heights  as  they  can  really  maintain  when  you  are 
no  longer  there.  Otherwise  there  is  no  democratic  leadership 
but  autocratic  command.”  1  To  which,  if  any,  of  these  cases 
should  such  a  principle  be  applied? 

10.  If  the  leaders  of  the  native  church  reach  a  decision,  should 
the  missionary  abide  by  it,  even  though  he  believes  the  decision  to 
be  wrong  and  has  the  power  to  insist  on  his  opinion?  To  what 
extent  is  a  fundamental  issue  in  democratic  procedure  at  stake 
here?  How  important  is  it  for  missionary  and  native  Christians 
to  think  together  in  a  democratic  deliberative  group? 

2.  ADAPTATION  TO  THE  SUPERSTITIOUS  THOUGHT  OF 

NON-CHRISTIANS 

a.  A  superstitions  oath.  A  famous  missionary  in 
Assam  was  made  a  magistrate.  He  soon  found  that 
there  was  little  value  in  administering  the  Western  oath 
— “I  promise  to  tell  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  noth¬ 
ing  but  the  truth.”  He  substituted  one  that  would  be 
more  effective  with  the  people — “If  I  do  not  tell  the 
truth,  may  the  tiger  eat  me,  the  serpent  bite  me,  and  may 
the  witch  devour  me.” 

h.  Explanation  of  disease.  A  disease  prevalent  in  one 
district  in  India  was  traced  by  the  missionary  in  that  area 
to  a  polluted  water  supply.  Knowing  that  the  people 
readily  attributed  disease  to  the  presence  of  evil  spirits, 

1  “Young  Men  of  India,”  Vol.  32,  p.  547. 

24 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


and  realising  that  they  would  with  difficulty  understand 
the  germ  theory  of  disease,  he  told  them  that  they  should 
put  their  water  on  the  fire  before  drinking  it,  so  as  to 
drive  out  the  evil  spirits.  The  people  saw  the  reasonable¬ 
ness  of  this  and  were  helped. 

c.  The  evil-eye.  Many  Oriental  peoples  have  a  great 
dread  of  the  “evil-eye.”  They  will  purposely  incorporate 
some  defect  in  a  rug  or  piece  of  embroidery  so  as  to 
render  them  imperfect  and  thus  escape  the  evil-eye.  Boys 
specially  loved  are  often  dressed  as  girls,  or  given  girls’ 
names,  as  less  liable  to  awaken  jealousy.  To  give  a  direct 
compliment  to  a  little  baby  may  be  a  terrible  breach  of 
etiquette.  In  Syria  one  is  expected  to  call  upon  the  name 
of  God  before  one  admires  a  child  or  other  animate  or 
inanimate  possession.  One  young  missionary,  just  out 
from  America,  passed  his  cook’s  boy  in  the  compound, 
stroked  his  head  in  an  affectionate  way,  and  said  some 
words  of  praise.  The  next  day  the  child  took  smallpox, 
and  it  was  years  before  that  missionary  lived  down  the 
effects  of  that  innocent  mistake.  Certain  older  mission¬ 
aries,  understanding  the  current  etiquette,  say  knowingly 
to  the  mother  of  a  pretty  child,  “Oh,  what  a  poor, 
emaciated  thing !”  or  “What  a  rascal  he  is !”  Some  mis¬ 
sionaries  in  Syria,  when  talking  with  a  superstitious 
fellaheen  or  low-class  working  man  always  use  at  ap¬ 
propriate  times  the  amulet-word  “SM-Allah.”  Others 
count  on  the  respect  which  Orientals  have  for  loyalty  to 
one’s  chosen  religion  and  consistently  refuse  to  adjust 
themselves  to  the  people’s  thought  of  the  evil-eye. 

d.  Charms.  Medical  missionaries  must  decide  the  ex¬ 
tent  to  which  they  will  break  over  superstitious  customs 
in  the  patients  which  come  to  their  hospitals.  Sick  people 
in  Siam  usually  have  strings  tied  around  their  wrists  by 
spirit  doctors  or  Buddhist  priests  to  protect  them  against 

25 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


the  power  of  demons.  When  they  come  to  the  mission 
hospital  for  treatment  should  the  physician  insist  on  the 
removal  of  these  strings  at  once,  perhaps  making  them 
suspicious  and  arousing  their  fear?  Or  should  the  physi¬ 
cian  wait  until  he  has  gained  the  confidence  of  the  patient 
in  the  hope  that  he  could  then  show  that  the  strings  are 
unnecessary  and  that  Christian  healing  does  not  depend 
upon  such  things? 

e.  The  banyan  test.  A  member  of  one  of  Indian 
criminal  tribes  was  suspected  of  stealing.  When  accused 
he  utterly  repudiated  the  deed.  Knowing  that  these 
tribes  have  their  own  codes  and  oaths,  the  missionary 
asked  the  man  whether  he  would  take  the  banyan  test 
(chopping  a  banyan  tree  with  an  axe  asserting  innocence). 
The  man  readily  assented.  But  when  the  axe  was  lifted, 
his  fear  became  too  great.  He  told  the  missionary  to 
send  the  spectators  away  and  he  would  divulge  where 
the  stolen  jewels  were. 

f.  Swearing  on  the  Koran.  A  missionary  was  in 
charge  of  a  college  hostel  in  which  eighty  Muhammadan 
students  lived.  A  theft  had  occurred  and  suspicion  cen¬ 
tred  on  one  man.  He  stoutly  denied  all  knowledge  of  the 
affair.  Knowing  that  Muhammadans  hesitate  to  swear  to 
an  untruth  over  the  Koran,  the  missionary  finally  pro¬ 
cured  a  copy  and  asked  the  student  whether  he  would 
swear  to  his  innocence  on  it.  This  he  refused  to  do. 

g.  Respect  for  the  written  character  in  China.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  immemorial  custom  in  Qiina,  scraps  of  paper 
upon  which  the  written  or  printed  character  is  found,  are 
respectfully  collected  and  burnt.  Even  in  modern  times 
philanthropists  have  put  up  street  boxes  in  Canton  and 
Peking  as  receptacles  for  “paper  with  written  character.” 
A  missionary  once  was  putting  up  a  tract  in  a  public  place 

26 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


when  he  accidentally  tore  it.  He  thoughtlessly  crumpled 
it  up  and  threw  it  on  the  ground,  as  we  might  do  in  the 
West.  An  old  scholar  who  had  been  watching  him  said, 
“Why,  the  name  of  your  God  was  upon  that.  I  would 
not  like  to  believe  in  your  religion.” 

Newspapers  and  the  coming  of  Western  ways  are 
changing  this  attitude  toward  the  written  character  for 
some.  This  is  bound  to  create  a  conflict  in  standards. 
Some  missionaries  believe  that  it  is  right  to  use  every 
means  to  show  respect  for  the  written  character  in  order 
to  avoid  showing  disrespect.  Others  believe  such  a  course 
is  condescension  and  an  encouragement  of  superstition. 

A  missionary  on  special  Red  Cross  work  was  associated 
with  a  number  of  hot-blooded,  young,  non-Christian 
Chinese  who  had  modern  ideas.  They  lost  no  opportunity 
of  showing  that  they  had  no  special  respect  for  the  printed 
page,  and  almost  wantonly  went  out  of  their  way  to  do 
what  they  knew  would  offend  the  feelings  of  the  old 
scholar  class.  The  missionary  found  himself  wondering 
just  what  course  he  should  take. 

At  a  certain  school  taught  by  a  very  progressive,  suc¬ 
cessful  Chinese  Christian  teacher,  the  children  were  al¬ 
lowed  to  throw  on  the  floor  scraps  of  paper  upon  which 
Chinese  characters  had  been  written.  At  a  meeting  of 
the  church  committee  which  dealt  with  school  affairs 
some  of  the  more  conservative  Christians  condemned  the 
new  custom,  saying  that  it  offended  their  feelings,  since 
on  those  scraps  might  be  written  the  name  of  God  or 
Christ.  To  trample  such  under  foot  would  be  sacrilege. 
The  more  radical  element  contended  that  to  throw  on  the 
floor  a  portion  of  ink  spread  out  on  paper  in  the  form 
of  Chinese  characters  was  no  worse  than  to  throw  ink 
itself  on  the  floor.  Peacemakers  tried  to  shift  the  matter, 
suggesting  that  the  paper  be  burned  as  a  measure  of 
neatness  and  cleanliness.  But  the  sides  had  already  been 
too  clearly  formed  on  the  issue  of  respect  to  the  written 

27 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


character  for  such  a  suggestion  to  avail.  Finally  an  ap¬ 
peal  was  made  to  the  missionary. 

h.  Food  offered  to  idols.  At  certain  festival  seasons 
in  many  parts  of  China  practically  all  food  cooked  in  the 
house  is  offered  to  the  idols  (either  in  the  home  or  at 
the  temples)  and  then  eaten.  For  the  most  part  Chris¬ 
tians  refuse  to  partake.  A  Christian  boy  is  to  be  tempo¬ 
rarily  a  guest  in  a  non-Christian  home  and  comes  for 
advice  as  to  what  he  should  do.1 

i.  Funeral  processions.  The  funeral  of  a  departed 
relative  is  a  very  important  occasion  in  China.  The  pro¬ 
cession  through  the  streets  of  the  city  is  considered  very 
important,  and  all  real  friends  of  the  departed  or  of  his 
living  relatives  are  expected  to  walk  in  it.  In  case  of 
a  wealthy  family,  this  procession  is  very  elaborate,  some¬ 
times  half  a  mile  long,  and  is  accompanied  by  Taoist 
priests  and  players  who  make  a  great  noise  with  cymbals 
and  drums.  Firecrackers  are  let  off  at  frequent  intervals, 
cash  paper  is  burned,  and  food  offered  to  the  departed. 
Every  one  on  the  street  and  in  the  shops  and  houses 
make  room  for  the  procession  and  respectfully  watches 
it  pass. 

A  missionary  had  a  friend,  belonging  to  a  wealthy  and 
influential  family.  This  friend  was  not  a  church  member, 
yet  was  not  an  opponent  of  Christianity  and  was  much 
interested  in  the  church’s  work.  On  several  occasions 
he  had  come  to  church  services.  This  man’s  father  died 
and  the  day  for  the  funeral  procession  arrived.  The 
funeral  was  to  be  conducted  entirely  according  to  the 
rites  of  the  Taoist  religion  with  many  superstitious  ele¬ 
ments.  The  missionary  was  invited  to  join  in  the  pro¬ 
cession.  Taking  part  in  this  important  ceremony  might 


l  On  this  cf.  Allen,  Roland,  “Missionary  Methods,  St.  Paul’s  or  Ours,” 
pp.  153  ff. 

28 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


win  the  unending  friendship  of  the  man  with  all  the  possi¬ 
bilities  of  such  a  friendship. 

One  experienced  missionary  says :  “On  one  such  oc¬ 
casion  I  took  part  in  such  a  procession.  All  the  super¬ 
stitious  elements  were  present.  My  friend,  the  eldest  son 
of  the  deceased,  was  the  chief  mourner.  On  reflection, 
I  think  that  I  would  not  do  so  on  another  similar  oc¬ 
casion.  I  believe  that  I  can  find  other  ways  of  expressing 
my  friendship  as  by  sending  a  scroll  in  honour  of  the 
deceased  or  by  calling  frequently  on  the  bereaved  family. 
I  believe  that  we  should  avoid  any  participation  in  or 
even  countenancing  of  superstition.  It  is  possible  to  do 
more  harm  to  the  Chinese  Christians  through  awakening 
questionings  as  to  my  motives  in  joining  the  procession 
than  good  from  obtaining  a  more  intimate  contact  with 
the  non-Christian  family.” 

Another  missionary  takes  a  different  attitude :  “The 
custom  has  a  good  element  in  it.  The  people  in  these 
ceremonies  are  cherishing  the  memory  of  their  departed 
and  are  showing  honour  and  respect  for  those  who  have 
passed  away.  This  is  a  characteristic  that  should  be 
encouraged,  not  denounced,  as  the  Chinese  would  lose 
morally  if  the  expression  of  respect  were  neglected. 
When  we  take  part  in  the  procession  we  merely  show  our 
respect  and  friendship  for  the  family.  Any  Chinese  in¬ 
telligent  enough  to  criticise  the  foreigner  for  participating 
in  such  a  procession  would  know  enough  to  be  assured 
that  the  foreigner  had  no  idolatrous  intent.  Most  of  the 
people  would  not  raise  the  question.” 

Still  another  missionary  leaves  such  matters  to  the 
judgment  of  his  educated,  Christian  Chinese  colleagues. 
In  the  only  case  that  has  arisen  for  him,  they  advised 
him  to  join  the  procession. 


29 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


DISCUSSION 

1.  What  additional  data  would  you  want  to  know  in  any  of 
these  cases  in  order  to  decide  what  the  right  procedure  should 
be? 

2.  Distinguish,  if  possible,  any  different  levels  of  culpability 
or  wisdom  in  the  procedures  here  given.  For  example,  compare 
a  and  f. 

3.  In  judging  what  procedure  we  would  adopt  in  each  case, 
are  we  to  seek  an  absolute  rule  or  standard?  Or  should  we  be 
guided  by  the  probable  effect  upon  the  individual  with  whom 
we  are  working?  The  effect  upon  the  whole  group  of  Chris¬ 
tians?  Upon  the  non-Christians?  What  should  be  determina¬ 
tive?  Test  your  judgment  by  applying  it  to  several  cases  cited. 

4.  If  it  is  a  question  between  extracting  an  honest  statement, 
or  helping  a  group  to  overcome  superstition,  which  would  you 
choose  to  do?  Consider  in  what  way,  if  at  all,  your  answer 
applies  to  a,  e,  and  /. 

5.  To  what  extent  in  these  questions  would  you  be  willing  to 
yield  to  the  judgment  of  educated,  intelligent,  Christian  leaders 
of  the  land  concerned  (for  example  in  case  t)  ?  Of  local  church 
officers  (as  in  1,  c )  ? 

6.  Make  a  start  at  forming  a  statement  of  the  ideal  purpose 
and  principles  of  procedure  that  a  missionary  should  have  in 
dealing  with  the  superstitious  thought  of  non-Christians. 

3.  CLASH  IN  PROPRIETIES 

When  the  standards  of  propriety  in  a  given  land  differ 
from  those  of  the  missionary,  many  troublesome  ques¬ 
tions  arise.  Indeed  one  of  the  most  perplexing  types  of 
problems  that  missionaries  face  arises  from  this  conflict 
of  new,  Western  customs  with  old  and  established  ways 
of  doing  things.  Shall  missionaries  stand  for  the  new  or 
the  old  ? 

a.  Veiled  faces.  In  a  station  in  the  interior  of  Turkey 
the  missionary  women  always  veiled  their  faces  when 
going  out  on  the  street,  because  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
women  of  that  part  of  the  country  to  go  veiled.  Younger 

30 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


missionaries,  arriving  on  the  field,  thought  that  it  was  a 
needless  custom  so  far  as  Americans  were  concerned,  and 
so  went  unveiled. 

b.  Dress.  “I  have  taken  Gandhi  off  my  prayer  list 
because  he  made  an  address  in  a  dhoti  (loin  cloth),” 
writes  an  American  woman.  The  occasion  followed  the 
burning  of  the  cotton  bales  in  Calcutta,  when  people  were 
claiming  that  India  could  not  produce  enough  cloth. 
Mahatma  Gandhi,  assuring  his  audience  that  he  was  no 
better  than  an  ordinary  villager,  threw  off  all  superfluous 
garments.  To  an  Indian  the  act  was  one  of  noble  sim¬ 
plicity. 

c.  Hospitality.  It  is  the  custom  for  missionaries  living 
in  large  cities  to  extend  hospitality  to  their  fellow  mis¬ 
sionaries  from  the  country  when  they  come  to  the  city  for 
shopping  or  for  mission  business.  If  the  husband  should 
be  away  on  tour  his  wife  must  consider  whether  she  can 
receive  men  guests,  even  a  missionary  and  his  wife,  for 
this  would  cut  right  across  conceptions  of  Oriental 
morality  and  might  expose  her  to  criticism. 

d.  Touching  hands.  At  a  mixed  family  party  where 
Chinese  and  missionaries  were  present  a  simple  game 
was  played  where  every  one  took  hands  for  an  instant. 
A  young  Chinese  said  long  afterward  that  he  had  been 
quite  disturbed  over  this,  and  that  it  had  taken  him 
months  to  get  over  believing  that  the  foreigners  were  all 
indecent. 

e.  Shaking  hands.  A  young  missionary  wife,  whose 
husband  was  in  charge  of  the  welfare  work  of  a  great 
factory,  was  visiting  some  Indian  women  in  a  section 
of  the  village  under  her  husband’s  care.  Two  American 
men,  strangers  to  her,  came  to  see  the  welfare  work  at 

31 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


this  centre.  She  stepped  forward  and  shook  hands  with 
them.  Later,  when  she  went  back  to  the  women,  she 
felt  their  coldness.  For  a  long  time  they  would  not  talk. 
She  never  felt  more  uncomfortable  in  her  life.  She  had 
shocked  them.  She  had  touched  her  hand  to  those  of 
strange  men.  Unaccustomed  as  they  were  to  shaking 
hands  at  all,  her  act  could  have  to  them  only  a  bad 
meaning. 

f.  Co-worship.  Down  the  centre  of  some  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  churches  in  West  China  run  partition  screens.  This 
is  a  concession  to  the  local  sense  of  impropriety  aroused 
by  the  assembly  of  men  and  women  in  the  same  audience 
hall.  The  missionary  with  his  wife  and  children  have  to 
decide  whether  they  will  follow  this  custom  or  sit  to¬ 
gether  after  their  prized  tradition  of  a  family  pew. 

g.  Courtship.  Courtship  between  young  missionaries 
on  the  field  is  sometimes  so  hedged  about  by  fear  of  pos¬ 
sible  scandal  because  of  unfamiliar  Western  customs  that 
the  time  has  been  looked  back  upon  by  some  with  horror. 
A  teacher  in  a  girls’  school  accepted  the  social  attention 
of  having  an  escort  to  and  from  an  evening  party.  The 
young  missionary  called  for  her  and  on  their  early  return 
he  was  invited  in  to  a  chafing  dish  supper.  This  incident, 
following  other  “irregularities,”  precipitated  a  contro¬ 
versy. 

h.  Matrimony.  Two  missionaries  in  China,  one  a 
widower  and  one  a  widow,  married.  They  knew  that 
many  in  China  consider  it  bad  taste  for  a  widow  to  re¬ 
marry.  In  spite  of  this  they  married.  Furthermore,  ac¬ 
cording  to  ancient  Chinese  customs  a  man  does  not  walk 
out  with  his  wife  or  manifest  any  familiarity  with  her  in 
public.  They,  therefore,  had  to  make  the  decision  as  to 
whether  they  would  refrain  from  going  out  together  into 

32 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


the  crowded  streets  of  the  Chinese  city,  or  whether  they 
would  do  just  as  they  would  in  America  and  thus  en¬ 
deavour  to  show  the  blessings  of  a  Christian  marriage 
where  husband  and  wife  are  on  an  equality  and  can  be 
good  companions  even  in  public. 

i.  Relation  of  men  and  women.  “The  institution  of 
sisterhoods  planted  alongside  of  male  establishments,  the 
spectacle  of  unmarried  persons  of  both  sexes  residing 
and  working  together  both  in  public  and  private,  and  of 
girls  making  long  journeys  into  the  interior  without  re¬ 
sponsible  escort,  are  sources  of  misunderstanding  at 
which  the  pure-minded  may  scoff,  but  which  in  many 
cases  have  more  to  do  with  anti-missionary  feeling  in 
China  than  any  amount  of  national  hostility  or  doctrinal 
antagonism.” 1 

j.  Modern  Western  styles.  An  outstanding  Indian 
Christian  in  one  of  the  large  cities  of  India  came  to  the 
leading  missionary  to  make  a  courteous  and  unofficial  but 
yet  solemn  protest  in  behalf  of  the  Indian  Christian  com¬ 
munity.  He  said  the  exceedingly  short  skirts,  transparent 
blouses,  and  decollete  lingerie  worn  by  the  women  in 
the  mission  community  were  distinct  stumbling  blocks 
to  the  Indian  Christians.  He  besought  his  friend  to 
influence  the  women  of  the  mission  seriously  to  consider 
Indian  conceptions  of  decency.  Any  Western  woman 
feels  it  a  sacrifice  to  give  up  her  freedom  of  dress.  She 
likes  to  follow  the  prevailing  modes,  and  to  embody  her 
ideas  of  beauty,  comfort,  and  style.  What  should  be 
done  ?  The  immediate  answer  was :  “I  cannot  answer 
to  others,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  from  this  day  my 
wife  will  not  offend.” 


l  Quoted  from  Lord  Curzon  by  Welsh,  R.  E.,  “The  Challenge  to  Chris¬ 
tian  Missions,”  p.  30. 

38 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


DISCUSSION 

1.  When  Oriental  students  come  to  the  West,  should  they 
conform  to  our  customary  proprieties?  Does  your  answer  help 
you  to  judge  any  of  the  cases  given  above?  In  what  way? 

2.  What  customs  of  his  own  group  did  Jesus  break  (Mk. 
2: 1-28;  3:  1-12)  ?  When?  Why?  Would  he  have  broken  these 
standards  in  the  same  way,  if  he  had  come  into  the  Jewish  group 
as  a  foreign  missionary?  What  makes  you  think  so? 

3.  Should  the  change  to  the  higher  standards  be  insisted  on 
at  once,  or  could  some  such  changes  be  easily  left  to  the  next 
generation?  Illustrate. 

4.  What  aggressive  part  should  a  missionary  take  in  changing 
the  mores  of  the  group  to  which  he  goes? 

5.  “We  must  cultivate  a  very  sensitive  imagination.  The 
imagination  of  others’  feelings  is  one  of  the  rarest  gifts,  yet  for 
want  of  it  infinite  harm  has  been  done.  We  must  learn  in¬ 
stinctively  to  see  every  situation  as  other  races  see  it;  to  know 
what  they  desire,  to  understand  why  they  are  repelled.”  1  Give 
illustrations  of  the  practical  application  of  these  suggestions. 

6.  On  what  principle  should  a  missionary  decide  how  far  to 
accept  or  how  far  to  break  the  customary  standards  of  a  foreign 
land?  Illustrate  each  alternative. 


4.  HEREDITARY  OCCUPATIONS  MORE  OR  LESS  IDOLATROUS  2 

a.  Making  idol  paper .  Outside  Foochow  is  a  com¬ 
munity  of  several  thousand  families  whose  sole  occupa¬ 
tion  is  making  “idol  paper,”  i.e.,  paper  used  in  non- 
Christian  worship.  There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as 
to  whether  the  making  of  such  paper  is  idolatrous  or 
not.  Some  claim  it  is  merely  a  means  of  livelihood; 
others,  that  there  must  be  in  it  some  religious  significance 
for  the  worker.  There  are  two  Christian  churches  among 
these  people,  practically  self-supporting,  and  hence  more 

1  “Christ  and  Human  Need,”  1921,  p‘.  113. 

2  For  further  reading  see  Allen,  Roland,  “Missionary  Methods — St. 
Paul’s  or  Ours,”  pp.  157-9;  and  Gibson,  J.  Campbell,  “Mission  Problems 
and  Mission  Methods  in  South  China,”  p.  279. 

34 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


or  less  independent  of  the  missionary,  although  mission¬ 
aries  or  foreigners  may  be  on  their  standing  committees. 
In  the  past  makers  of  idol  paper  in  this  community  have 
been  admitted  to  church  membership.  They  were  clearly 
not  idolatrous  in  interest  and  were  simply  making  their 
livelihood  by  making  idol  paper  for  others  to  use.  Re¬ 
cently  a  man  in  this  business  applied  to  one  of  the 
churches  for  membership,  and  there  was  a  division  in 
the  standing  committee,  both  among  Chinese  and  foreign 
members,  as  to  whether  he  should  be  received. 

b.  Incense  making.  Off  in  the  mountains  of  North 
China,  where  wood  is  not  as  scarce  as  on  the  plains,  is  a 
village  of  incense  makers.  The  entire  industry  of  that 
village  is  the  making  of  sticks  of  incense  which  are  sold 
either  for  use  in  the  worship  of  idols  or  for  lighting 
tobacco  pipes.  From  a  neighbouring  town  they  heard  of 
Christianity,  and  soon  thereafter  they  invited  the  mis¬ 
sionary  to  visit  them  and  advise  regarding  organising  a 
church  there.  When  the  missionary  saw  their  zeal  and 
keen  interest  he  was  naturally  exercised  over  the  problem 
presented :  could  they  continue  in  their  one  source  of 
livelihood  and  at  the  same  time  organise  a  church  with 
the  hope  of  growing  in  grace?  Being  essentially  an  in¬ 
dustrial  community  their  fields  and  crops  were  limited, 
and  they  could  not  readily  become  farmers.  It  would 
take  years  to  inaugurate  a  new  form  of  industry, — if,  in 
fact,  any  other  could  be  found  which  would  promise 
sufficient  income  for  their  support.  The  missionary, 
hurrying  hither  and  yon  in  the  evangelistic  work  of  a 
tremendous  field,  could  not  undertake  to  introduce  a  new 
form  of  livelihood  even  if  he  knew  what  to  propose. 
The  question  was  whether  he  should  refuse  them  the 
benefits  of  an  organised  Christian  life,  because  the  prod¬ 
uct  of  their  village  industry  was  for  the  most  part  used 
in  non-Christian  worship. 


35 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


c.  A  band.  The  non-Christian  Rajah  of  one  of  the 
native  states  in  India  has  thirty-seven  Christians  in  his 
state  band.  Part  of  their  duty  is  to  play  at  temples  and 
Hindu  ceremonies.  The  Roman  Catholics  in  this  area 
permit  this. 

d.  Fermented  wheat.  In  the  back  districts  of  Korea 
wheat  is  easiest  marketed  after  it  has  been  mashed,  partly 
fermented,  and  dried.  There  is  a  greater  demand  for 
wheat  in  this  form  of  arrested  fermentation  and  it  brings 
about  half  more  in  price.  Wheat  so  treated  is  used  ex¬ 
clusively  for  making  intoxicants.  The  Presbytery  has 
ruled  that  a  Christian  must  make  the  sacrifice  in  con¬ 
venience  and  money  involved  in  marketing  whole  wheat. 
He  is  not  forbidden,  however,  to  sell  it  to  a  man  who  is 
certain  to  use  it  for  making  intoxicants. 

e.  Drum  beating.  It  has  been  very  difficult  for  mis¬ 
sionaries  in  India  to  decide  what  attitude  should  be  taken 
to  certain  hereditary  occupations  of  converts  from  among 
the  Mangs  and  similar  castes,  and  the  resulting  practice 
has  by  no  means  been  uniform.  In  accordance  with  the 
division  of  labour  embodied  in  the  caste  system  of  India, 
it  has  been  for  centuries  the  village  duty  of  the  Mangs 
to  act  as  watchmen,  make  ropes,  slings,  and  brooms,  give 
notice  to  the  village  of  all  government  orders,  and  to  be 
the  village  musicians.  Since  the  drum  is  made  of  leather, 
and  higher  castes  dare  not  touch  this  polluting  substance, 
the  Mang  is  essential  for  the  drum  beating  in  processions, 
marriages,  and  in  the  making  of  public  proclamations. 
For  these  services  the  Mangs  have  a  customary  right  to 
a  share  of  the  grain  and  other  produce  at  harvest  along 
with  the  other  public  servants  of  an  Indian  village. 

As  village  musicians,  part  of  the  Mang’s  work  is  con¬ 
nected  with  Hindu  worship.  He  may  have  to  escort  a 
worshipper  to  the  temple  and  be  present  when  the  offer- 

36 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


in g  is  made  in  fulfilment  of  some  vow.  -  When  a  bride¬ 
groom  goes  to  the  temple  of  his  village  before  going  for 
his  bride,  and  when  both  go  to  the  temple  of  the  village 
guardian  god,  a  Mang  has  to  accompany  them  beating  the 
drum.  Every  temple  procession  must  have  a  drum.  Fur¬ 
thermore,  there  is  a  widespread  custom  in  South  India 
going  back  to  antiquity  when  neither  life  nor  property 
was  safe  and  each  village  had  a  wall  around  it.  At  sun¬ 
set  the  gate  was  shut  for  protection;  but  before  shutting 
it  the  Mangs  beat  their  drums  to  warn  the  people  in  the 
fields  to  return  to  the  village.  The  need  for  warning  has 
ceased,  but  the  custom  of  drum  beating  at  sunset  has  con¬ 
tinued.  Instead  of  doing  it  at  the  gate,  they  stand  before 
the  temple  of  the  guardian  idol  of  the  village.  When  a 
non-Christian  Mang  renders  this  service  he  removes  his 
shoes  and  makes  obeisance,  i.e.,  he  worships. 

When  Mangs  become  Christians,  they  naturally  would 
like  to  give  up  all  doubtful  customs.  But  unless  they 
render  certain  religious  services  essential  to  their  Hindu 
co-villagers  they  are  denied  their  share  in  the  village 
produce.  It  is  exceedingly  hard  for  a  Westerner  to 
imagine  how  difficult  it  is  for  these  people  to  change 
their  hereditary  place  in  the  closely  knit  village  economy. 
To  give  up  this  work  may  mean  not  only  serious  difficulty 
in  gaining  a  livelihood,  but  actual  persecution.  At  Ongole 
a  Christian’s  back  was  broken  because  he  dissuaded  his 
fellow  Christians  from  drum  beating.  At  Markapur  six¬ 
teen  Madiga  Christians  were  imprisoned  and  most  cruelly 
treated  for  refusing  both  to  renew  the  leather  on  a  large 
drum  and  to  beat  the  smaller  drums,  giving  as  their 
reason,  “We  are  now  Christians  and  cannot  have  any¬ 
thing  to  do  with  idol  worship.”  But  their  Hindu  masters 
did  not  regard  it  as  a  religious  change.  To  them  it  was 
a  labour  strike,  a  species  of  rebellion  against  the  village 
economy. 

Some  missionaries,  therefore,  while  decidedly  prefer- 

37 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


ring  that  the  Christians  do  other  work  and  get  other  pay, 
allow  them  to  continue  their  customary  village  service. 
Such  Christians  affirm  that  they  merely  beat  the  drum  as 
part  of  their  village  service,  and  that  they  do  not  in  any 
sense  worship  while  doing  so.  While  standing  before 
the  idol,  they  do  not  remove  their  shoes  nor  bow  to  it. 
Hindus,  as  a  rule,  recognise  that  they  are  not  worship¬ 
ping — unless  the  beating  of  the  drum  itself  is  considered 
worship.  Those  who  permit  this  custom,  however,  hold 
that  it  is  a  secular  act,  like  the  ringing  of  a  church  bell. 
Or  they  believe  that  the  Christian  way  of  dealing  with 
the  matter  is  to  leave  it  an  open  question  which  will 
solve  itself  in  time.  A  Christian  public  opinion  is  slowly 
forming.  The  custom  of  payment  in  kind  which  has  been 
universal  in  the  villages  is  beginning  to  pass.  Some,  in 
order  to  preserve  their  own  self-respect  as  well  as  the 
respect  of  others,  are  voluntarily  giving  up  this  work, 
where  possible.  The  retention  of  drum  beating  and  kin¬ 
dred  services  is  thought  by  some  to  be  a  small  thing  com¬ 
pared  with  the  great  step  of  leaving  idol  worship  for  the 
worship  of  the  true  God,  and  they  feel  that  we  have  no 
authority  from  the  Master  to  say  to  any  darkened, 
stumbling  creature  that  he  must  reach  a  certain  place 
of  development  before  he  can  be  received  as  a  disciple  of 
Christ.  It  is  easy  to  be  harsh  in  our  judgments  and 
forget  that  thousands  in  the  West  sit  down  at  the  table 
and  yet  do  not  do  all  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  God. 

Other  missionaries  hold  that  the  beating  of  the  drum 
is  of  necessity  as  much  an  act  of  worship  as  the  obeisance 
to  the  idol,  no  matter  what  the  beater’s  mental  state  is. 
To  do  one  without  the  other  is  not  to  refrain  from  wor¬ 
ship,  but  only  to  worship  irreverently.  To  them  it  is  sig¬ 
nificant  that  in  a  few  villages  Hindus  have  taken  the  right 
of  drum  beating  away  from  Christians,  since  they  want 
the  act  performed  by  one  who  acknowledges  the  idola¬ 
trous  significance  of  it.  The  very  persecution  caused  by 

38 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


stopping  this  service  often  has  had  its  good  side.  Whole 
regions  have  marvelled  when  humble  Christians  sang  con¬ 
tinuously  in  prison,  sustained  by  religious  fervor  touched 
with  martyrdom.  Those  who  oppose  the  continuance  of 
this  work  point  to  the  early  Christians,  who  were  cut  off 
from  a  variety  of  lucrative  employments  by  their  new 
profession.  They  feel  certain  that  the  Christian  con¬ 
science  of  the  Indian  church  will  in  the  future  condemn 
these  practices,  but  hold  that  it  would  be  shameful  and 
disastrous  if  those  who  are  responsible  for  its  teaching 
and  guidance  fail  to  condemn  them  now.  To  delay  would 
make  strong  and  definite  action  in  the  future  all  the 
harder.  In  their  opinion  no  effort  should  be  spared  to 
convince  Christians  who  continue  such  idolatrous  con¬ 
nections,  that  their  course  of  action  involves  disloyalty 
to  Christ,  whether  they  recognise  it  or  not;  that  it  stulti¬ 
fies  their  testimony  against  idolatry ;  that  compromise  on 
such  a  subject  undermines  their  own  Christian  character 
and  weakens  their  power  of  resisting  temptation ;  that 
their  example  is  a  hindrance  to  many  who  might  be  en¬ 
couraged  by  them  to  leave  all  for  Christ ;  and  above  all, 
that  the  sacrifice  is  one  which  the  love  of  Christ  con¬ 
strains  them  to  make.  When  all  that  has  been  done,  if 
there  be  any  who  refuse  to  receive  patient  and  affectionate 
teaching,  certain  missionaries  hold  that  nothing  remains 
to  the  church  but  to  bring  the  persons  concerned  under 
discipline.  They  believe  that  the  weak  and  ignorant  must 
be  dealt  with  patiently  and  tenderly;  but  nevertheless 
think  it  is  a  cruel  kindness  which  condones  sin.  It  is 
easy  to  see  how  missionary  practice  could  be  divided  on 
this  question. 


DISCUSSION 

1.  In  the  United  States  there  are  several  Buddhist  temples  and 
Muhammadan  mosques.  What  attitude  should  a  Christian  work- 

39 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


man  take  when  asked  to  work  on  one  of  these  structures?  Give 
any  other  Western  analogies  to  these  cases. 

2.  Are  these  cases  on  a  dead  level  of  objectionableness?  If 
not,  what  distinctions  do  you  discern? 

3.  Try  to  state  what,  if  anything,  is  wrong  in  each  case,  and 
why  it  is  wrong. 

4.  Experience  of  the  ages  shows  that  loss  of  livelihood  or 
persecution,  if  it  be  a  matter  of  conscience,  will  work  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  church.  To  what  extent  has  this  truth  a  place 
in  the  argument? 

5.  To  what  extent  should  a  community  of  Christians  be  able 
to  see  that  their  economic  life  is  a  contribution  to  the  growth  of 
the  Kingdom?  How  generally,  in  any  country,  is  this  idea  ex¬ 
plicit  in  the  attitude  of  Christians?  Should  it  be? 

6.  What  human  activities  in  the  West,  if  any,  are  free  from 
being  implicated  in  supporting  the  present  defective  and  what 
many  feel  is  an  unjust  social  system?  Does  the  consideration 
of  this  question  tend  to  make  you  more  lenient  in  your  judg¬ 
ment  of  these  cases  from  abroad ;  or  does  your  decision  with 
reference  to  them  tend  to  make  you  raise  your  standard  for  a 
Christian  in  the  West? 

7.  In  the  light  of  these  cases,  judge  discriminatingly  the  value 
of  the  following  principle :  “The  development  of  the  good  among 
all  non-Christian  races  should  long  precede  the  active  elimina¬ 
tion  of  the  bad.  Missionaries  should  commend  early  and  con¬ 
demn  late,  praise  and  encourage  generously,  antagonise  spar¬ 
ingly.”  1 

8.  Pick  out  the  one  or  two  cases  which  seem  to  you  most 
important  and  indicate  what  position  you  would  take  on  each. 
On  what  general  grounds?  What  possible  constructive  measures 
could  you  suggest,  in  order  that  your  advice  might  not  be  merely 
negative  ? 


5-  THE  SUBLIMATION  OF  NON-CHRISTIAN  CUSTOMS 

One  way  of  dealing  with  a  non-Christian  custom  is 
to  sublimate  it,  or  transmute  it  into  a  Christian  practice. 
Many  social  traditions,  which  are  the  product  of  non- 
Christian  conceptions  of  life,  may  be  thus  gradually  trans¬ 
formed.  Western  Christianity  has  in  this  way  taken  over 

1  Journal  of  Race  Development,  Vol.  1,  p.  144. 

40 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


and  rebaptised  many  a  custom  once  called  heathen,  such 
as  Sunday,  the  Christmas  tree,  the  use  of  candles,  certain 
aspects  of  Easter,  etc.  Every  medium  through  which 
Christianity  has  come  to  us  (Jewish,  Greek,  Roman,  early 
European)  has  left  its  deposit  of  Christianised  custom. 
Among  the  peoples  to  whom  Christianity  is  now  being 
mediated  there  are  ceremonies  and  festivals  to  which 
minds  and  hearts  are  devotedly  attached.  Some  of  these 
should  be  transformed  so  that  they  may  continue  as  part 
of  the  Christian  tradition.  Caution,  however,  is  needed ; 
for  there  is  danger  in  continuing  customs  which,  however 
innocent  in  themselves,  carry  with  them  associations 
which  are  misleading ;  in  obscuring  the  line  between 
Christianity  and  the  old  religion ;  in  the  difficulty  of  read¬ 
ing  new  meanings  into  old  forms ;  and  in  the  misunder¬ 
standing  to  which  it  subjects  the  practice  of  Christians. 
The  task  is  one  that  requires  the  ripest  experience  and 
wisdom  of  the  ablest  Christians  in  a  given  land. 

In  Japan  a  little  boy  at  the  age  of  five  puts  on  his  first 
hakama,  and  a  little  girl  at  the  age  of  seven  wears  her 
first  sash,  obitoki.  The  time  when  a  boy  dresses  like  his 
father  and  the  girl  like  her  mother  is  a  great  occasion 
in  a  child’s  life.  One  Japanese  pastor  uses  this  time  as 
an  occasion  to  urge  the  Christian  parents  to  start  their 
children  in  Sunday  School.  In  his  congregation  the 
hakama  and  obitoki  are  first  worn  in  the  church. 

Mother-hearts  the  world  over  crave  an  opportunity  to 
receive  the  blessing  of  religion  on  their  young  children. 
In  Japan  this  feeling  finds  expression  in  the  miyamairi 
or  shrine-going.  At  this  time  the  mother  dresses  her 
child  up  in  its  best  and  goes  to  the  shrine.  In  the  pres¬ 
ence  of  the  priest  she  has  the  kagura  (religious  dancing) 
performed  in  order  to  receive  the  blessings  of  the  gods 
on  the  young  child.  This  is  followed  by  a  visit  to  inti¬ 
mate  friends  of  the  family,  who  join  in  the  celebration. 
A  Japanese  pastor  has  suggested  that  this  custom  could 

41 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


easily  be  Christianised  by  connecting  it  with  the  christen¬ 
ing  ceremony  or  dedicatory  service. 

One  great  occasion  in  the  life  of  a  young  Samurai 
used  to  be  at  fifteen,  at  the  gempuku,  when  a  boy  wore 
for  the  first  time  two  swords.  Realising  that  our  spiritual 
warfare  demands  good  soldiers,  how  might  the  old  custom 
be  sublimated  and  used?1 

Suppose  yourself  in  India.  Consider  what  you  would 
do  if  you  found  that  women  in  your  district  were  in  the 
habit  of  taking  their  clothes  to  the  temple  to  have  them 
blessed  before  wearing.  Would  you  be  inclined  to  adopt 
the  custom  in  your  church?  If  you  saw  that  the  farmers 
about  you  called  in  a  priest  and  offered  up  a  fowl  in 
order  to  secure  a  blessing  upon  the  sowing,  would  you 
encourage  the  Indian  Church  to  announce  at  certain 
seasons  that  any  who  would  be  planting  the  coming  week 
might  stay  and  have  special  prayer  offered  for  them? 
Both  these  things  have  been  done  by  the  only  Indian 
Bishop  yet  appointed. 

Knowing  that  the  universal  custom  in  India  is  to  have 
a  “go-between”  to  arrange  for  marriage,  inasmuch  as  the 
boy  and  girl  do  not  see  each  other  until  the  marriage 
day,  would  you  encourage  Christians  to  use  the  old  non- 
Christian  agents  or  adopt  our  Western  plan  of  courtship 
or  have  deaconesses  formally  appointed  to  take  over  this 
function,  or  would  you  just  let  things  drift? 

Do  you  see  any  possibilities  in  the  fact  that  when  a 
Muhammadan  baby  is  born  the  mother  will  not  feed  it 
until  some  Muhammadan  man  has  said  the  Kalima  (creed 
of  Islam)  in  its  ear?  The  first  words  it  hears  must  be 
the  most  sacred  ones  of  Islam. 

Suppose  you  observe  that  in  non-Christian  marriages 
the  bride  and  groom  walk  around  a  bamboo  pole  at  a 
certain  stage  of  the  ceremony.  Will  the  substitution  of 
a  cross  for  the  bamboo  be  a  proper  step  in  adaptation,  or 

1  Cf.  “Japan  Evangelist,”  Vol.  23,  pp.  246-9. 

42 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 


will  this  only  stereotype  the  lower  associations  of  the 
former  system  and  tighten  the  chain  of  superstition? 

One  of  the  most  picturesque  festivals  in  India  is  Devali, 
when  tiny  lights  are  used  to  outline  public  buildings  and 
often  the  homes  of  people.  The  children  love  the  attrac¬ 
tive  display  of  these  little  Oriental  lamps  with  their  wicks 
of  cotton  in  cocoanut  oil.  Would  you  preach  on  Christ 
as  the  light  of  the  world,  ask  them  to  “let  their  light  so 
shine,”  interpret  the  festival  as  a  triumph  of  light  over 
darkness,  and  thus  take  it  over  into  Christianity?  Or 
would  you  shun  its  very  touch  and  keep  the  children  from 
the  charm,  knowing  that  unbridled  gambling  is  associated 
with  this  night,  and  that  it  really  betokens  Vishnu’s  tri¬ 
umph  over  demons? 

The  Chinese  have  a  custom  of  holding  a  memorial  feast 
and  worship  for  the  dead  every  seventh  day  for  seven 
times  after  the  death  of  a  parent  or  grandparent.  Re¬ 
cently  an  old  man  died,  he  and  his  family  being  the  only 
Christians  in  his  village.  He  was  buried  with  a  Christian 
service.  The  neighbours  clamoured  bitterly  that  he  was 
not  shown  proper  filial  respect,  and  hence  feared  that 
his  spirit  would  trouble  the  whole  village.  The  son  there¬ 
fore  decided  to  have  a  Christian  religious  meeting  in  his 
house  every  seventh  day  for  seven  weeks,  singing  hymns, 
reading  Scripture,  and  having  prayer.  Some  non-Chris¬ 
tians  attended  these  services  and  in  many  cases  expressed 
themselves  as  believing  the  Christian  funeral  rites  were 
just  as  good  as  their  own.  What  can  be  said  for  and 
against  this  concession  to  non-Christian  neighbours? 

Years  ago,  before  he  had  heard  the  Gospel,  a  man 
engaged  his  baby  son  to  a  baby  daughter  of  another 
family.  This  girl  died,  and  afterwards  another  engage¬ 
ment  was  arranged.  The  groom’s  family  became  Chris¬ 
tians,  and  when  he  was  married  a  year  ago  the  ceremony 
was  performed  by  the  Christian  missionary.  To  their 
surprise  the  bride  refused  to  eat,  talk,  or  work  while  in 

43 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


her  new  home.  After  considerable  searching  the  reason 
was  discovered.  She  was  sure  the  evil  spirit  of  the  little 
dead  betrothed  girl  was  troubling  her,  as  no  “spirit  wed¬ 
ding”  ceremony  had  been  performed  for  the  first  fiancee 
before  the  second  one  had  been  taken  into  the  home. 
Although  treated  most  kindly  by  her  husband  and  family, 
given  a  chance  to  attend  school,  and  urged  by  her  own 
parents  to  be  a  good  daughter-in-law,  she  committed 
suicide.  Should  the  groom’s  family,  although  Christian, 
have  consented  to  the  above  “spirit  wedding”  to  calm  the 
bride?  What  other  possibility  would  there  have  been? 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  things  other  than  those  mentioned  in  the  first  para¬ 
graph  of  this  section  have  been  taken  over  from  non-Christian 
religions  into  Christian  practice? 

2.  What  place  should  the  foreigner  take  in  the  sublimation 
process  that  is  going  on,  or  could  go  on  in  these  days  on  the 
mission  field? 

3.  “It  is  characteristic  of  institutions  (1)  that  they  embody 
sentiments,  ideas,  interests,  in  a  structure  or  formal  organisa¬ 
tion  of  some  kind,  and  (2)  that  they  are  handed  down  from  one 
generation  to  another.  In  the  process  of  transmission  the  senti¬ 
ments  and  ideas  change  but  the  structure  remains,  or  changes 
less  rapidly.”  1  What  bearing,  if  any,  has  this  statement  on  the 
wisdom  of  attempting  to  put  new  content  into  old  forms? 

4.  Is  it  better  for  a  “great  gulf”  to  be  fixed  outwardly  be¬ 
tween  Christianity  and  non-Christian  religions ;  or  is  it  better 
for  the  difference  to  be  principally  inward  and  moral? 

5.  A  contaminating  aura  may  cling  around  a  custom  for  years 
after  it  has  been  practised  in  a  changed  form  by  Christians. 
Especially  is  this  true  when  non-Christians  continue  the  practice 
side  by  side  in  its  old  form.  What  reasons,  then,  can  there  be 
for  any  one’s  trying  to  sublimate  old  customs,  rather  than  intro¬ 
ducing  wholly  new  ways?  What  dangers  surround  the  process? 

6.  Suggest  some  principle  that  would  help  to  guide  one  who 
was  trying  to  decide  whether  or  not  to  attempt  the  sublimation 
of  any  given  non-Christian  custom? 

1  Park,  R.  E.,  “The  Principles  of  Human  Behavior,”  p.  45. 

44 


MATTERS  OF  DOUBTFUL  EXPEDIENCY 

7.  After  considering  the  problems  raised  in  this  chapter, 
which  of  the  following  alternatives  would  you  prefer,  if  each 
were  possible — to  develop  in  a  given  people  a  new  idea,  leaving 
it  to  take  form  as  it  would;  or  to  establish  your  standard  of 
institutions,  forms,  and  social  structure  before  having  changed 
the  ideas  back  of  them?  In  other  words,  to  a  missionary  should 
ideas  or  structure  seem  more  important? 


4  5 


Chapter  II 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 

1.  ASSISTING  NON-CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP  AND 

ORGANISATION 

a.  Permitting  idols  in  servants'  quarters.  A  mis¬ 
sionary  in  Japan  employs  a  Japanese  as  cook.  The  cook 
lives  with  his  wife,  parents  and  children  in  a  Japanese 
building  at  the  rear  on  mission  property — the  part  known 
as  the  “servants’  quarters.”  Being  a  Buddhist,  the  cook 
proposes  to  follow  the  customs  of  his  cult  by  erecting  a 
miniature  shrine  before  which  he  can  pray  and  burn 
incense.  He  also  wants  to  put  up  a  little  “god-shelf” 
in  his  living  room  on  which  he  can  place  certain  religious 
emblems  and  at  which  he  can  burn  incense.  This  would 
enable  him  and  his  family  to  express  their  religious 
nature  in  the  way  which  they  consider  true  and  proper. 
The  shrine,  while  inconspicuous  and  quite  unobjection¬ 
able  from  any  other  standpoint  than  the  religious,  can 
yet  be  seen  by  the  chance  passer-by;  the  idol-shelf  can, 
of  course,  be  seen  only  by  one  who  enters  the  servant’s 
house.  Both  are  on  the  property  of  a  society  intent  on 
leading  men  out  of  idolatry  to  something  better. 

b.  Moslem  students  and  Friday  worship.  Islam’s 
weekly  day  of  worship  comes  on  Friday.  Moslem  stu¬ 
dents  at  the  American  University  of  Beirut  have  no  objec¬ 
tion  to  attending  classes  on  Friday,  but  many  of  them 
desire  to  attend  the  noon  prayers  in  the  mosque.  If  the 
young  Moslem  students  are  allowed  to  leave  the  campus 

46 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


and  go  to  the  great  mosque  in  the  city  they  will  miss  cer¬ 
tain  classes,  possibly  indulge  in  smoking  and  drinking, 
and  may  get  into  very  disreputable  company.  It  is  diffi¬ 
cult  to  have  a  teacher  accompany  them,  for  the  teachers 
are  Christians  and  would  not  be  welcome  at  the  mosque. 
Older  Moslem  students  can  be  placed  in  charge  to  some 
extent,  but  the  system  tends  to  break  down  when  you 
have  a  large  group  of  boys  quite  unknown  by  face  or 
name  to  the  older  students.  The  privilege  of  attending 
the  mosque  cannot  well  be  based  on  a  scholarship  or 
character  test  for  the  obvious  reason  that  religious  fer¬ 
vour  is  not  necessarily  related  to  either. 

A  simple  solution  would  be  to  have  a  Moslem  sheikh 
come  to  the  University  and  hold  services  there  for  the 
students.  Would  you  regard  this  as  permissible  in  a 
Christian  institution?  The  situation  could  be  placed  be¬ 
fore  the  parents.  Ought  you  to  release  the  students  if 
the  parents  desired  it?  Or  should  the  students  be  re¬ 
quired  to  attend  a  small  mosque  just  outside  the  college 
walls,  ascertaining  the  exact  time  for  prayers  and  issuing 
passes  to  those  students  who  desire  to  go,  thus  reducing 
the  loss  of  time  and  danger  of  bad  influence  to  a  min¬ 
imum? 

c.  Giving  a  place  in  the  schedule  to  the  teaching  of 
non-Christian  religions.  In  a  mission  college  in  the  Pun¬ 
jab  a  half  hour  each  day  is  devoted  to  religious  instruc¬ 
tion.  Hindus,  Muhammadans,  and  Sikhs  attend  these 
classes  in  Christianity.  After  several  years  of  such  in¬ 
struction  one  not  infrequently  finds  that  they  are  uncon¬ 
sciously  acquiring  Christian  attitudes  in  various  matters, 
and  more  or  less  sincerely  assuming  that  their  own  re¬ 
ligion  has  much  the  same  accepted  teaching.  Under  such 
circumstances  a  missionary  professor  sometimes  wishes 
that  voluntary  classes  in  Hinduism  or  Muhammadanism 
could  be  started,  so  that  the  students  might  not  be  igno- 

47 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


rant  of  their  own  religions,  and  thus  would  be  better  able 
to  appreciate  the  superior  teachings  of  Christianity. 

At  one  time  in  St.  Stephen’s  College,  Delhi,  under  the 
Cambridge  Mission,  where  the  great  majority  of  the 
students  were  Hindus  and  Muhammadans,  a  place  was 
given  in  their  college  lecture  series  to  exponents  of 
non-Christian  religions.  Here  the  motive  was  fairness — 
that  both  sides  might  have  a  hearing. 

At  Trinity  College,  Kandy,  where  half  of  the  students 
are  Christian,  where  they  are  in  a  strong  Buddhist  en¬ 
vironment,  Buddhism  is  taught  by  an  acknowledged 
leader  in  this  faith.  The  principal  has  a  conviction  that 
the  underlying  thought  of  the  old  faiths  should  be  taught 
from  a  sympathetic  and  fully  appreciative  standpoint. 
He  feels  that  it  is  important,  especially  for  Christians, 
that  they  should  know  the  old  faiths  at  their  best.  Their 
Christianity  should  develop  alongside  the  thought  of  their 
own  country.  Sooner  or  later  they  are  sure  to  meet  the 
objections  to  Christianity  which  are  common  among  the 
priests  of  non-Christian  faiths.  Should  these  objections 
not  arise  in  their  midst  whilst  they  are  still  in  a  Christian 
environment,  they  are  sure,  he  feels,  to  do  so  after  they 
are  alone  and  out  of  reach  of  those  who  might  help 
them.  He  believes,  moreover,  that  it  brings  them  into 
touch  with  the  thought-habits  of  their  own  people.  Such 
a  plan  is  very  rare  on  the  mission  field. 

d.  Assisting  a  bitter  religions  antagonist.  About  fif¬ 
teen  years  ago,  out  of  the  score  of  arts  colleges  in  the 
Punjab,  the  mission  college  at  Lahore  was  the  only  one 
that  provided  a  common  room  or  social  centre  for  the 
students.  In  the  other  colleges  practically  no  provision 
was  made  for  social  life.  They  had  not  thought  of 
putting  a  game  room  or  reading  room  in  the  hostels 
or  residence  halls.  Eventually  the  authorities  of  the 
college  under  the  management  of  the  Arya  Samaj,  the 

48 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


most  persistent  and  bitter  opponent  of  Christianity  in 
North  India,  sent  representatives  to  the  mission  college 
to  look  over  their  system  of  common  rooms  for  social 
and  recreational  purposes,  and  to  get  a  copy  of  their 
constitution  and  working  plans.  To  aid  them  to  -duplicate 
this  feature  would  reduce  by  so  much  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  the  two  colleges,  and  might  to  that  extent  lessen 
the  prestige  of  the  mission  college.  Should  the  authori¬ 
ties  of  the  mission  college  share  to  the  maximum  or  the 
minimum  ? 

e.  Sharing  your  best  for  non-Christian  leadership. 
During  the  war  the  Turkish  Viceroy  of  Syria  sent  Jamil 
Bey,  whom  he  had  recently  appointed  Director  of  the 
newly  established  Saladin  University  in  Jerusalem,  to 
visit  the  American  University  at  Beirut.  He  was  to  stay 
for  six  weeks,  live  among  the  teachers  and  students,  study 
their  methods,  and  if  possible  discover  the  secret  of  the 
success  their  graduates  had  obtained.  Jamil  Bey  frankly 
acknowledged,  “We  need  your  help  all  along  the  line,  but 
especially  in  the  training  of  our  Moslem  religious  leaders. 
We  are  groping  in  the  dark  and  we  need  a  helping  hand.” 
Principal  Bliss  welcomed  him  and  tried  in  every  way 
to  help  him.  “We  are  here,”  he  said,  “not  as  rivals ; 
we  are  here  to  share  with  the  people  of  the  East  the 
best  things  we  have  in  the  West,  or  rather  to  exchange 
the  best  things  that  East  and  West  have  received.  For 
the  whole  world  needs  the  whole  world.”  1 

f.  Acknozdedging  the  good  in  Muhammadanism.  The 
American  University,  at  Beirut,  missionary  and  Christian 
as  it  is, — joins  every  year  with  its  Moslem,  Druze,  and 
Bahai  students  in  their  religious  celebration  of  Muham¬ 
mad’s  birthday.  White-turbaned  sheiks  are  scattered 
through  the  audience,  made  up  of  a  throng  of  reverent 

l  Cf.  The  Atlantic  Monthly,  Vol.  125,  p.  664. 

49 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


students.  There  is  the  low  chanting  of  the  Koran  and 
serious,  restrained  orations. 

“In  the  closing  address,  given  by  a  responsible  officer 
of  the  College,  the  speaker  makes  it  clear  that,  as  a 
representative  of  the  Christian  religion,  he  is  glad  to  have 
a  sympathetic  share  in  all  efforts  to  strengthen  the  forces 
of  righteousness  in  the  world.  Praising  the  splendid  de¬ 
mocracy  that  obtained  in  early  times  among  Moslems 
themselves, — no  rights  withheld  because  of  colour,  pov¬ 
erty,  or  social  status — and  commending  Omar’s  massive 
declaration  upon  becoming  Caliph :  ‘By  God,  he  that  is 
weakest  among  you  shall  be  in  my  sight  the  strongest, 
until  I  have  vindicated  for  him  his  rights :  but  him  that 
is  strongest  will  I  treat  as  the  weakest,  until  he  complies 
with  the  laws,’  he  pleads  that  this  spirit  should  not  only 
be  maintained  among  Moslems  to-day,  but  extended  by 
them  so  as  to  embrace  all  mankind.  He  bids  them  re¬ 
tain  the  sense  of  the  nearness  of  God,  asserted  in  the 
Koran’s  memorable  line,  ‘God  is  closer  to  you  than  the 
great  artery  of  your  neck.’  He  urges  that  they  should 
remain  true  to  their  Book’s  injunction  as  to  intoxicating 
liquors,  at  just  this  epoch  when  Western  peoples  are 
grappling  with  the  evils  of  alcoholism.  Characterising  as 
a  stroke  of  genius  the  Moslem  custom  of  calling  men  to 
prayer  through  the  matchless  human  voice,  rather  than 
by  means  of  bells,  beautiful  as  these  are,  he  begs  all  the 
students,  Christian  as  well  as  Moslem,  to  turn  their 
thoughts  Godward  at  the  summons  of  the  muezzin.  And, 
finally,  he  pleads  for  an  ever  deeper,  richer  interpretation 
of  the  word  Islam,  until  everywhere  it  shall  connote  an 
active,  personal,  intelligent  submission  to  the  Will  of 
God  in  body,  mind,  and  spirit,  and  thus  stand  for  a  true 
and  a  sound  conversion.”  1 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  analogous  situations  c-ould  conceivably  confront  us 
in  the  West? 

l  Bliss,  Howard  S.,  “The  Modern  Missionary,”  p.  11. 

50 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


2.  What  can  be  said  for  and  against  the  permission  of  non- 
Christian  worship  and  instruction  on  mission  property  (cases 
a,  b,  and  c )  ?  In  what  way,  if  at  all,  does  this  question  differ 
in  principle  from  the  question  as  to  whether  non-Christians, 
who  have  rented  mission  property,  should  be  allowed  to  keep 
their  shops  open  on  Sunday  (see  page  143,  d )  ? 

3.  If  you  as  a  missionary  were  conducting  an  open  forum  on 
religion  in  Tokyo,  or  Peking,  or  Calcutta,  would  you  have  only 
Christian  speakers  to  give  the  main  addresses,  bending  every 
energy  to  have  perfectly  fair  and  impartial  opportunities  for  any 
to  speak  from  the  floor?  Or  would  you  give  non-Christians, 
also,  an  opportunity  to  state  their  position  in  main  addresses 
from  the  platform?  Why? 

4.  What  would  be  your  attitude  towards  a  mother  teaching 
her  little  child  puja  (Hindu  worship)  ?  Horror,  pity,  sorrow,  or 
reverent  sympathy  for  one  who  is  teaching  her  child  the  best 
she  knows? 

5.  Under  what  circumstances,  if  at  all,  would  you  assist  non- 
Christians  to  purify  and  to  build  up  their  own  religions. 

6.  Try  to  discover  what  decision  should  have  been  made  in 
each  of  these  situations  and  state  as  clearly  as  possible  the 
grounds  upon  which  you  make  your  decision. 

2.  SUPPORT  OF  IDOLATRY 

According  to  the  treaty  of  the  Powers  with  China  in 
1900,  Christians  cannot  be  compelled  to  pay  fees  to  idol¬ 
atrous  societies  nor  taxes  for  non-Christian  worship  in 
villages.  But  most  villages  keep  no  separate  accounts 
and  make  no  separate  levies  for  this  purpose.  In  some 
villages,  the  expenses  of  this  sort  are  very  heavy;  in 
others,  they  are  practically  nothing. 

Many  Chinese  Christians  are  paying  dues  which  are 
used  in  part  for  idolatrous  worship  and  upkeep  of  tem¬ 
ples.  If  they  don’t,  they  say  that  the  people  will  shut 
off  their  water,  let  pigs  overrun  their  fields,  or  refuse 
them  the  protection  of  the  village  constables.  If  you 
push  them  to  cease  contributing  to  idolatry,  they  may 
consent  on  condition  that  you  agree  to  back  up  their 
claim  for  treaty  rights.  The  foreign  consul,  however,  is 

51 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


very  likely  tired  of  such  cases,  and  you  know  that  it 
will  take  much  of  your  time. 

a.  Village  levy  for  idolatry.  Mission  A  has  adopted  a 
rule  that  where  the  tax  for  religious  purposes  is  not 
levied  separately,  “their  Christians”  are  to  pay  only  sixty 
per  cent  of  the  tax  levy.  This  frequently  works  hard¬ 
ship  in  the  villages,  since  idolatrous  expenditures  may 
not  amount  to  forty  per  cent,  and  bitterness  is  aroused. 
Mission  B  has  been  in  the  habit  of  settling  each  case 
on  its  own  merits,  in  most  cases  with  a  much  smaller 
discount  than  forty  per  cent.  But  some  of  the  Christians 
connected  with  this  mission  feel  that  it  is  not  looking 
after  their  interests  as  well  as  the  other  mission  looks 
after  those  of  its  Christians.  Furthermore,  many  of  the 
Christians  who  are  exempted  from  payment  of  the  idol¬ 
atrous  taxes  in  the  village  do  not  contribute  nearly  so 
much  to  the  church  as  they  save  on  exemption  from  their 
taxes. 

b.  Fees  to  a  pork  guild.  A  pork  butcher  in  a  certain 
Chinese  city,  being  a  Christian,  refused  to  pay  his  fees 
to  the  pork  guild.  The  non-payment  of  fees,  however, 
gave  the  Christian  butcher  an  advantage  over  other 
butchers,  as  he  was  able  to  sell  his  meat  so  much 
cheaper.  This  brought  forth  a  storm  of  protest  from 
the  guild.  All  that  the  treaty  meant  to  them  was  that 
the  Powers  had  compelled  the  Chinese  to  give  special 
advantages  to  Christians.  The  matter  was  brought 
finally  to  the  attention  of  the  Chinese  pastor  and  of  the 
station  missionary. 

They  thought  it  might  be  possible  for  the  Christian 
butcher  to  contribute  his  fees  to  those  objects  in  the 
guild  which  were  not  idolatrous-.  But  a  long  and  pains¬ 
taking  study  of  the  guild  revealed  the  fact  that  the  fees 
were  used  entirely  for  paying  for  masses  for  the  souls 

52 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


of  the  dead  or  for  buying  property  for  the  temple  with 
which  the  guild  was  connected.  The  Roman  Catholics 
in  some  instances  of  this  kind  have  the  fees  paid  to  the 
church.  The  butcher  was  willing  to  do  this,  but  the 
pastor  and  missionary  did  not  think  this  was  consistent 
with  that  Christian  spirit  of  giving  which  they  wanted 
to  inculcate.  The  final  result  was  that  the  butcher  kept 
his  fees,  and  his  advantage  under  the  1900  treaty. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  State  the  common  issue  involved  in  these  incidents  in  its  sim¬ 
plest,  most  general  form. 

2.  What  would  be  your  judgment  of  the  wisdom  of  meeting 
these  situations  by  saying,  “Christians  are  inextricably  mixed  up 
with  non-Christians.  I  would  wink  at  a  great  many  such  things 
in  the  Christian  community  and  expect  time  to  clear  them  up. 
One  must  remember  the  great  final  goal — what  will  do  the  most 
good  in  the  end.” 

3.  What  are  the  relative  advantages  of  the  practices  of  Mis¬ 
sion  A  and  of  Mission  B  ? 

4.  What  do  you  think  of  a  suggestion  made  by  some  that 
Christians  be  required  to  contribute  to  the  church  the  equivalent 
of  their  previous  tax  for  idol  worship?  What  is  the  most  vital 
question  you  can  ask  in  this  connection? 

5.  With  reference  to  situation  b  do  you  regard  the  solution 
as  satisfactory?  Why?  Trace  its  probable  effect  on  spiritual 
growth.  In  what  constructive  ways  might  the  fees  be  used? 
What  advantage  would  there  be  in  this? 

6.  In  one  Chinese  city,  the  Christians  established  good  rela¬ 
tions  and  the  reputation  for  community  spirit  by  offering  to  pay 
double  the  temple  assessment  to  the  funds  for  repairing  bridges, 
roads,  and  the  city  wall.  If  you  approve  of  this  action  try  to 
draft  a  general  principle  embodying  the  wisdom  of  this  specific 
instance. 

3.  ADAPTATION  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIOUS  THOUGHT 

When  we  remember  how  arduous  is  the  process  of 
harmonising  the  expression  of  Christianity  with  the 

53 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


changing  thought-forms  of  our  own  civilisation,  we  can 
appreciate  something  of  what  is  involved  in  adjusting 
it  to  an  entirely  different  order  of  ideas.  It  is  by  no 
means  easy  to  distinguish  between  what  is  of  the  essence, 
and  what  is  merely  due  to  our  modes  of  thinking.  Not 
infrequently  the  situation  demands  that  we  sacrifice 
names  and  forms  that  have  become  dear  by  long  associa¬ 
tion,  in  order  that  the  Gospel  may  be  expressed  in  ways 
congenial  to  the  people  with  whom  we  are  working.  A 
broad-minded  missionary  will  want  to  show  a  true  and 
justifiable  catholicity  in  the  presence  of  a  non-Christian 
faith,  and  yet  he  must  ever  consider  what  the  reaction 
of  his  conduct  may  be  on  others.  To  decide  what  comes 
under  a  wise  catholicity  and  to  weigh  the  effect  of  one’s 
actions  on  others  are  not  always  easy.  Consider  the  fol¬ 
lowing  concrete  cases : 

a.  Prayer  in  a  mosque.  The  Jumma  Musjid  (Great 
Mosque)  at  Delhi  is  a  beautiful  and  inspiring  specimen 
of  religious  architecture.  Three  monumental  stairways, 
each  of  forty  great  stone  steps,  lead  up  through  imposing 
gateways  to  the  great  court  where  ten  thousand  of  the 
faithful  can  bathe  in  its  fountains  and  kneel  together 
before  domes  and  minarets  of  marble,  porphery  and 
onyx. 

A  missionary,  who  frequently  visited  Delhi,  went  each 
time  that  it  was  convenient  for  him  to  this  mosque. 
There,  surrounded  by  its  majesty  and  beauty,  he  engaged 
in  prayer  much  as  one  in  New  York  might  go  out  of 
his  way  to  get  the  ennobling  inspiration  for  prayer  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  on  Fifth  Avenue.  The  mis¬ 
sionary  chose  a  retired  corner  of  the  mosque  and  did 
not  assume  a  posture  that  would  make  manifest  his  pur¬ 
pose.1 

l  A  missionary  from  China  writes,  “I  do  not  see  how  one  could  stand 
on  the  central  altar  of  the  Temple  of  Heaven  in  Peking  without  prayer.” 

54 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


b.  Visits  to  tombs  of  Moslem  saints.  A  noted  western 
scholar,  an  authority  on  Islam,  visited  the  Near  East  for 
the  purpose  of  first-hand  study  of  the  people  and  their 
religion.  Though  a  devout  man  and  earnest  Christian,  he 
went  among  them  as  a  student  of  Arabic  and  of  Islam, 
not  as  a  missionary.  Before  going  to  the  East,  he  had 
studied  the  lives  and  ideas  of  the  more  important  saints 
of  Islam,  had  read  their  books,  and  had  come  to  respect 
and  esteem  a  great  many  of  them  in  a  very  high  degree. 
When  he  found  himself  on  Moslem  soil,  he  naturally  de¬ 
sired  to  visit  the  tombs  of  the  saints  whom  he  respected 
and  reverenced.  The  prevailing  usage,  however,  in  visit¬ 
ing  the  tombs  of  Moslem  saints  is  to  advance  to  the  rail 
that  surrounds  the  tomb,  hold  the  rail  in  your  right 
hand,  and  recite  the  “Fatiha” — the  first  chapter  of  the 
Koran — which  holds  much  the  place  with  the  Moslem 
that  the  Lord’s  Prayer  does  with  Christians. 

This  Christian  scholar  conformed  to  this  usage,  visited 
the  tombs  frankly  in  reverence,  behaving  like  a  religious- 
minded  and  gentlemanly  person.  He  himself  was  bene¬ 
fited  by  feeling  the  nearness  of  the  spiritual  kindred  of  all 
that  call  upon  the  Lord,  and  he  felt  assured  that  those 
Moslems  who  saw  him  do  it  felt  that  here  was  a  spiritual 
unity — that  this  man,  Christian  though  he  might  be,  rev¬ 
erenced  their  saint  and  knew  what  it  meant  to  recognise 
holiness  and  the  life  hid  in  God. 

There  are,  of  course,  many  saints  in  the  Moslem  cal¬ 
endar,  whose  tombs  he  could  by  no  means  visit  with  rev¬ 
erence,  but  there  are  many  others,  according  to  this  au¬ 
thority,  whose  tombs  could  be  visited  by  the  most  careful 
Christian  with  the  feeling  that  he  was  honouring  good 
men.  Furthermore,  he  was  convinced  after  experience 
that  his  conformity  to  custom  suggested  nothing  to  the 
Moslems  who  were  with  him  except  simple  unity  and 
charity.  He  acknowledged  that  some,  more  especially 
among  the  ignorant,  might  have  thought  he  was  inclined 

55 


A 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


to  Islam.  For  example,  his  guide,  on  being  abused  at 
one  tomb  for  permitting  him  to  enter  the  sacred  precinct, 
said,  “He  loveth  our  people,  and  the  Lord  may  open  his 
heart  to  Islam.”  1 

c.  Using  the  name  of  Christ  in  prayer  with  non- 
Christians.  Many  thoughtful  missionaries,  especially 
who  are  engaged  in  educational  work  among  non-Chris¬ 
tians  in  India,  have  had  to  face  the  problem  as  to  whether 
they  should  use  the  name  of  Christ  in  leading  prayers 
for  those  who  have  not  yet  accepted  Christianity.  Indi¬ 
vidual  missionaries  have  decided  the  question  one  way 
or  the  other,  and  so  far  as  the  writer  knows  there  has 
been  no  general  or  official  pronouncement  on  the  matter. 
Perhaps  the  majority  of  missionaries,  either  from  rea¬ 
soned  conviction  or  from  unconscious  habit,  end  their 
prayers  before  non-Christians  with  the  phrase,  “for 
Christ’s  sake.” 

The  issue  was  clearly  drawn  in  1921  in  connection 
with  the  London  Missionary  Society’s  work  in  Bangalore. 
Their  High  School,  with  an  enrolment  of  600,  has  one 
Muhammadan  and  six  Hindu  students  to  each  Christian 
pupil.  The  principal,  profoundly  believing  in  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  worship,  nevertheless  felt  that  for  most  of  his 
non-Christian  pupils  prayers  in  the  name  of  Christ  would 
be  unreal  and  ineffective.  He  therefore  drew  up  and 
published  a  book  of  prayers  suffused  with  Christian 
spirit  and  content,  but  in  which  no  specific  mention  was 
made  of  Christ. 

This  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  London  Mis¬ 
sionary  Society,  and  the  matter  aroused  considerable  dis¬ 
cussion  extending  over  many  months.2  A  small  minority 
urged  that  in  view  of  the  declared  aim  of  the  Society  to 
proclaim  the  name  of  Christ  they  should  not  sanction  the 

1  Macdonald,  D.  B.,  “Aspects  of  Islam,”  pp.  24-30. 

2  See  The  Christian  World ,  July  7,  Dec.  22,  1921;  Jan.  5,  12,  19,  1922. 

56 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


exclusion  of  His  name  from  the  daily  worship  in  the 
schools  of  the  Society.  They  feared  that  the  Bangalore 
plan  might  encourage  a  false  religiosity  in  the  Hindus 
and  Muhammadans  and  make  it  impossible  to  teach  them 
that  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  save  through  Him 
who  is  the  way.  While  still  insisting  that  the  daily  Bible 
teaching  should  be  imperative  for  non-Christian  pupils, 
they  were  willing  for  the  opening  worship  to  be  volun¬ 
tary. 

The  majority  realised  that  such  action  would  prac¬ 
tically  cause  failure  of  any  attempt  to  teach  spiritual  wor¬ 
ship  to  Hindus  and  Muhammadans.  In  these  schools 
and  colleges  Indian  missionaries  are  dealing,  not  with  a 
paganism  whose  absurdity  is  more  than  self-suspected  by 
the  people,  but  with  strong  and  aggressive  religions.  In 
these  days  when  Indian  nationalism  has  made  them  super¬ 
sensitive  to  everything  that  can  be  interpreted  as  de¬ 
nationalising  no  one  of  them  would  voluntarily  pray  in 
the  name  of  Christ. 

In  further  support  of  the  Bangalore  plan  it  was  urged 
that  the  use  of  the  name  of  Christ  by  those  who  have 
not  yet  accepted  him  as  Lord  might  lead  to  insincerity; 
that  it  might  extend  the  tendency  already  seen  in  India 
to  make  Jesus  Christ  just  another  in  the  list  of  gods  in 
the  Indian  pantheon;  that  to  teach  boys  to  worship  God, 
the  Father,  is  one  of  the  best  ways  to  bring  them  to 
understand  the  message  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son:  and 
that  in  just  such  prayers  as  those  used  at  Bangalore 
Christ  is,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  casting  out  the  old  gods. 

In  their  final  decision  the  London  Missionary  Society 
gave  liberty  of  method  in  evangelism  to  their  Bangalore 
missionaries,  but  expressed  their  opinion  that  books  of 
prayers  for  non-Christians  should  have  in  them  a  section 
containing  prayers  specially  intended  for  the  use  of  Chris¬ 
tian  students,  and  of  students  approaching  the  Christian 
position.  This  would  show  the  distinctively  Christian 

57 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


character  of  the  Society  whose  missionaries  were  respon¬ 
sible  for  publishing  such  books. 

d.  Community  prayers  in  a  non-Christian  city.  On 
the  occasion  of  the  death  of  King  Edward  VII  the  citi¬ 
zens  of  Lahore,  India,  arranged  for  a  public  meeting  for 
mourning  which  was  to  be  closed  with  prayer.  Though 
the  Committee  in  charge  was  made  up  almost  wholly  of 
Hindus  and  Muhammadans,  they  asked  an  outstanding 
missionary  whom  they  greatly  respected  to  take  this  part 
on  their  programme.  He  was,  therefore,  acting  as  a  com¬ 
munity  representative.  What  terminology  would  you 
use  in  such  a  prayer,  and  would  you  close  it  with  the 
words,  “in  Christ’s  name?” 

e.  Utilising  Buddhist  forms.  A  successful  missionary 
of  absolutely  unquestioned  loyalty  to  Jesus  Christ  and 
of  most  devoted  missionary  purpose,  works  among  Bud¬ 
dhists.  He  has  worked  out  a  plan,1  formally  recom¬ 
mended  by  a  group  of  prominent  missionaries,  of  de¬ 
veloping  a  centre  for  a  sympathetic  approach  to  these 
Buddhist  priests.  The  external  architecture  would  cor¬ 
respond  as  far  as  possible  to  that  of  a  Buddhist  monas¬ 
tery,  thus  conforming  to  their  ideas  insofar  as  they  are 
in  harmony  with  the  Christian  spirit.  There  would  be 
a  hospitality  hall  where  travelling  monks  could  be  taken 
in  for  worship  and  for  study,  a  temple  hall  where  the 
brethren  could  meet  daily  in  solemn  worship,  a  lecture 
hall,  library,  meditation  hall  and  prayer  tower,  built  as 
a  pagoda  and  containing  the  church  bell.  Bible  classes 
and  lectures  would  be  given  daily.  In  public  worship 
all  parts  of  the  Buddhist  sacred  book,  the  Tripitaka, 
in  agreement  with  Christian  doctrine  will  be  recognised 
and  can  be  used  in  the  ritual  and  teaching.  Some  of  the 
finest  Buddhist  chants  may  also  be  used.  Incense,  which 

l  Cf.  Chinese  Recorder ,  July,  1920. 

58 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


arouses  religious  emotion  for  these  Buddhist  priests, 
would  have  a  place.  The  movement  aims  at  the  trans¬ 
formation  of  Chinese  Buddhism  from  within,  and  not  in 
the  first  place  the  tearing  down  of  the  old  structure. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  In  what  way,  if  any,  would  your  judgment  be  changed  if 
the  missionary  had  prayed  openly  in  a;  if  the  person  in  b  had 
been  a  regular  Christian  missionary? 

2.  Has  the  content  of  the  “Fatiha”  anything  to  do  with  the 
question  raised  in  b?  If  so,  get  a  Koran  and  read  its  first  chapter 
(some  eight  lines).  Could  you  use  this  in  a  Christian  devo¬ 
tional  service,  or  not?  Why? 

3.  With  regard  to  case  c,  state  the  Bangalore  problem  in  its 
simplest  terms.  What  is  the  function  of  prayer  before  a  non- 
Christian  class?  Should  prayer,  like  preaching  and  teaching,  be 
used  as  a  means  of  propaganda?  As  a  matter  of  method  in 
solving  this  problem,  what  weight  should  be  given  to  the  way 
the  Hindus  and  Muhammadans  regard  the  use  and  omission  of 
the  phrase,  “in  Christ’s  name’’?  Is  this  problem  merely  one  of 
method,  means,  and  approach ;  or  is  something  more  vital  in¬ 
volved?  What  bearing,  if  any,  on  this  question  has  the  wording 
of  the  Lord’s  prayer? 

4.  To  what  extent  do  you  approve  of  the  plan  outlined  in  e? 
None?  Part?  All?  What  dangers  or  precautions  would  be 
suggested  as  the  result  of  reflection  or  of  a  study  of  history? 

5.  What  would  be  your  attitude  toward  an  Oriental  who  de¬ 
liberately  refrained  from  uncovering  his  head  on  entering  a 
church  ? 

6.  In  each  of  these  cases  try  to  state  the  grounds  on  which 
you  approve  or  disapprove  of  the  action  or  position  taken. 

4.  THE  DISPOSAL  OF  OLD  OBJECTS  OF  WORSHIP 

a.  A  community  idol.  A  recent  convert  owns  an  idol 
which  because  of  its  age  and  history  is  greatly  rever¬ 
enced  by  the  people.  A  temple  offers  to  buy  it  at  a  high 
price.  There  it  will  be  an  object  of  worship.  If  he 
destroys  it,  or  gives  it  to  the  missionary  to  be  sent  to 

59 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


some  museum  in  America,  his  relatives  will  think  that  he 
has  been  irreverent  to  his  ancestors  who  have  honoured 
it  in  the  past.  They  will  also  think  that  he  should  not 
deprive  the  village  of  the  protection  that  they  believe  has 
come  to  it  because  of  the  presence  of  the  image. 

b.  A  sacred  tree .  On  land  possessed  by  a  Christian 
is  a  tree  that  has  been  held  in  great  reverence  by  the 
people  of  the  village.  They  have  been  accustomed  to 
perform  various  religious  rites  before  it.  He  could  shut 
off  access  to  the  tree.  Or  he  could  cut  it  down  and  thus 
show  that  the  spirits  supposed  to  be  connected  with  it 
have  no  power  to  protect  it  or  to  harm  him.1 

c.  Stepping  on  an  idol.  In  South  India  is  a  com¬ 
munity  which  has  used  one  of  the  stone  idols  of  that 
region  for  a  step  in  the  threshold  of  their  church  build¬ 
ing. 

d.  Scorning  an  idol.  Alexander  Duff,  the  great  Scotch 
educational  missionary,  once  brought  an  idol  into  his 
class  room  in  Calcutta  and  dashed  it  to  pieces  before 
the  class.  That  could  not  be  done  now.  A  few  years 
ago  a  missionary  professor  in  that  same  city,  finding 
that  one  of  his  Hindu  students  had  brought  an  idol  into 
the  dormitory  of  this  Christian  institution,  took  the  idol 
and  threw  it  on  the  ash  heap.  The  public  press  took  up 
the  matter  at  once,  public  opinion  was  aroused,  and  the 
professor  had  to  apologise  publicly  for  what  he  had 
done.  It  is  not  always  easy,  especially  for  young  mis¬ 
sionaries,  to  restrain  expressions  of  disgust  when  certain 
things  connected  with  idolatry  are  seen,  or  to  avoid  re¬ 
marks  about  the  idols  or  priests  which  may  offend  those 
who  overhear. 

l  Cf.  “The  First  Christmas-tree,”  by  Henry  Van  Dyke,  in  his  “Blue 
Flower.” 

60 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


e.  Smashing  a  shrine.  During  the  mass  movement 
toward  Christianity  among  the  Telugus  in  India,  it  was 
often  difficult,  especially  in  the  hot  season,  to  find  suf¬ 
ficient  depth  of  water  to  baptise  the  many  converts  who 
came.  Dr.  Clough  decided  to  build  a  baptistry  under  a 
large  tamarind  tree  in  his  garden.  It  was  a  beautiful, 
shady  spot.  An  idol  shrine  had  stood  there  since  time 
immemorial.  The  peoples  of  an  adjacent  hamlet  had 
worshipped  there  with  bloody  sacrifice  and  dance  of  pos¬ 
session.  With  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  Dr.  Clough  had 
the  boundary  lines  settled,  confirming  mission  ownership 
of  the  ground. 

When  the  villagers  heard  that  he  intended  to  demolish 
the  shrine,  they  threatened  to  beat  any  one  who  touched 
it.  Clough  made  short  work  of  that  matter.  He  took 
a  crowbar,  ran  it  into  the  shrine  and  threw  the  stones 
and  mortar  right  and  left.  The  preachers  and  men  in 
the  mission  school  were  all  there  and  did  the  rest.  If 
the  villagers  had  fallen  upon  Dr.  Clough,  he  had  deter¬ 
mined  to  fight  them  with  the  help  of  his  men.  The 
villagers  looked  on,  expecting  Clough  to  fall  dead  before 
their  eyes,  stricken  by  the  demon  which  they  said  had 
its  abode  in  that  shrine.  Nothing,  however,  happened. 
The  place  was  cleared,  and  a  baptistry  was  built  in  which 
since  then  many  thousands  have  been  baptised.1 

DISCUSSION 

1.  An  idol  or  shrine  might  be  connected  with  the  worship  of 
a  malignant  spirit  which  holds  a  region  in  fear,  so  that  its 
destruction  would  in  reality  free  the  people.  Or  the  image  might 
represent  the  highest  they  knew  in  the  way  of  worship.  Should 
one’s  action  in  disposing  of  an  idol  or  shrine  be  dependent  upon 
the  nature  of  the  god? 

2.  What  would  you  think  of  the  following  principle :  In  such 
cases  as  those  given  above  act  in  such  a  way  as  to  produce  the 

l  Cf.  Clough,  John  E.,  “Social  Christianity  in  the  Orient,”  p.  155. 

61 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


greatest  amount  of  religious  education  for  the  community?  In¬ 
dicate  a  course  of  procedure  in  one  of  the  cases  cited  which  you 
think  would  be  educative  religiously,  and  one  which  you  think 
would  not  be. 

3.  What  other  considerations  or  principles  can  be  brought  to 
bear  upon  decision  in  such  cases? 

5.  THE  CHOICE  OF  SYMBOLS  FOR  CHRISTIAN  USE 

No  missionary  would  want  needlessly  to  irritate  a  con¬ 
servative  people  by  insisting  on  church  architecture  and 
decoration  which  is  essentially  and  defiantly  alien.  Many 
feel  that  buildings  which  are  not  obtrusively  foreign 
help  to  conciliate  a  people  in  the  transition  stage  reli¬ 
giously.  Furthermore  when  Christianity  becomes  thor¬ 
oughly  acclimatised  in  any  land  it  naturally  expresses 
itself  in  symbols  congenial  to  its  new  environment.  Mis¬ 
sionaries  often  attempt  to  assist  this  process  of  naturali¬ 
sation  by  making  use  of  symbols  that  have  won  common 
acceptance,  and  about  which  sentiment  is  entwined. 
When,  however,  such  symbols  have  been  associated  with 
a  non-Christian  religion,  the  advisability  of  their  assimi¬ 
lation  is  sometimes  questioned. 

a.  The  lotus.  The  lotus  has  been  a  favourite  symbol 
both  for  Buddhist  and  for  Hindu.1  Its  shining  flowers 
floating  on  the  still  dark  surface  of  the  lake,  its  manifold 
petals,  opening  as  the  sun’s  rays  touched  them  at  break 
of  day  and  closing  again  at  sunset,  seemed  perfect  sym¬ 
bols  of  creation.  The  roots  hidden  in  the  mud  beneath 
stood  for  the  cosmos  evolved  from  the  dark  void  of 
chaos  and  sustained  in  equilibrium  by  the  cosmic  ether. 
Their  three  colors  were  emblems  of  the  aspects  of  the 
One — red  for  the  Creator,  white  for  the  Divine  Spirit, 
and  blue  for  the  Preserver  and  Upholder  of  the  Uni¬ 
verse.  Its  bell-shaped  fruit  was  the  mystic  womb  of  the 

l  Cf.  Havell,  E.  B.,  “Indian  Architecture,”  pp.  14,  IS,  94,  96,  97. 

62 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


Universe  holding  the  germ  of  worlds  innumerable  still 
unborn.  The  lotus  is  used  in  pictures  as  a  footstool  for 
the  gods,  gives  shape  to  many  an  Indian  dome  and  pillar 
capital,  and  is  a  common  motif  in  decoration.  Few  peo¬ 
ple  would  be  able  to  give  any  clear  idea  of  its  symbolic 
meaning.  It  has  become  a  conventional  factor  in  Indian 
architecture. 

Most  churches  in  India  make  no  attempt  to  embody 
elements  of  Indian  architecture.  In  a  few  only  has  this 
been  attempted.  One  church  in  Western  India  has  the 
lotus  as  a  prominent  detail  of  interior  decoration.  It 
appears  on  the  windows,  pulpit  and  on  the  fresco  of  the 
walls.  It  is  definitely  associated  with  the  idea  of  purity 
even  in  the  midst  of  untoward  surroundings. 

b.  The  torii.  The  committee  arranging  for  the  World’s 
Sunday  School  Convention  at  Tokyo,  in  1920,  wanted 
a  convention  badge  which  would  embody  something  dis¬ 
tinctly  Japanese  and  at  the  same  time  be  artistic.  Inas¬ 
much  as  the  torii  may  be  considered  a  representative  art 
design  of  Japan,  a  prominent  place  was  given  to  it  in  the 
badge.  The  real  religious  significance  of  the  badge  was 
in  the  sun  rising  behind  Mount  Fujiyama  at  the  centre 
of  the  torii,  the  open  Bible  at  its  base  with  the  reference, 
John  9:5,  “I  am  the  light  of  the  World.” 

An  American  religious  journal,  commenting  on  this 
badge,  strenuously  objected  to  the  use  of  “this  pagan 
symbol  for  a  Christian  convention.”  It  was  pointed  out 
that  the  torii  “invariably  marks  the  entrance  to  a  Shinto 
temple”;  and  that  while  it  is  used  everywhere  in  Japan 
as  a  mere  ornament  or  decoration,  “it  is  also  used  every¬ 
where  in  Japan  as  a  great  pagan  guidepost,  pointing  souls 
to  eternal  death  instead  of  eternal  life.”  “Can  we  think 
of  the  apostle  Paul,  in  that  imaginary  Christian  conven¬ 
tion  at  Ephesus  in  the  First  Century,  when  looking  about 
for  a  badge  or  symbol  for  the  Christians  to  wear,  decid- 

63 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


in g  to  make  the  little  ‘silver  shrines  of  Diana’  (Acts 
19 : 24)  the  Christian’s  badge,  accompanying  it  with  a 
rising  sun  and  a  word  spoken  by  Jesus?’’ 

c.  The  swastika.  One  of  the  foremost  Christian  uni¬ 
versities  in  China  has  a  beautiful  chapel  embodying  vari¬ 
ous  elements  of  Chinese  architecture.  The  decorations 
are  patterned  after  designs  found  in  various  Peking 
palaces.  The  ceiling  is  decorated  with  beautifully  painted 
panels  of  the  phoenix,  a  stork-like  bird  typifying  immor¬ 
tality  and  happiness.  The  ancient  swastika  symbol 1  oc¬ 
curs  over  a  hundred  times  in  window  panes,  iron  grating, 
ends  of  pews  and  announcement  boards.  This  figure 
was  not  chosen  for  any  religious  significance  attached  to 
it,  since  it  is  found  in  quite  secular  places ;  but  because 
it  made  a  good  framework  for  the  glass  and  gave  a 
quaint  oriental  touch  that  harmonises  with  other  features 
of  the  building.  The  most  conspicuous  symbols  about 
the  chapel,  however,  are  two  Christian  crosses  which 
tower  above  everything  else  at  the  two  ends  of  the  gable 
of  the  roof. 

A  writer  in  an  American  weekly  uses  this  chapel  as 
an  example  of  “the  confusing  or  ignoring  of  the  clean- 
cut,  black-and-white  distinction  made  by  God  between 
himself  and  all  other  ‘gods,’  between  Christianity  and  all 
other  ‘religions.’  There  is  no  such  ‘separateness’  between 
certain  expressions  of  Christianity  in  heathen  lands  and 
the  false  religions  of  those  lands  as  we  find  in  the  First 
Century  under  such  foreign  missionaries  as  Paul.”  The 
suggestion  was  added  that  the  symbol  of  the  Christian 
cross  might  better  have  been  used  throughout.  On  the 
other  hand  the  authorities  were  pleased  when  a  converted 
Buddhist  priest,  visiting  the  chapel,  exclaimed  over  the 

1  Americans  usually  see  this  symbol  in  the  form  of  a  good  luck  pin  or 
button.  Its  many  meanings,  its  use  in  many  different  countries  and  its 
connection  with  Buddhism  may  be  found  under  the  heading  “swastika”  in 
any  good  encyclopaedia. 


64 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


religious  spirit  of  the  place  and  attributed  his  impression 
to  the  Chinese  symbols  used. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Try  to  weigh  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  using 
the  lotus  and  the  torii  under  the  given  circumstances. 

2.  After  looking  up  the  history  and  use  of  the  swastika,  judge 
whether  the  university,  a  Christian  institution,  should  replace  its 
Chinese  symbols  with  something  else. 

3.  Is  the  swastika  in  the  chapel  a  mark  of  compromise  with 
“heathenism,”  or  may  its  presence,  under  the  dominance  of  the 
two  Christian  crosses  on  the  roof  signify  the  force  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  both  to  assimilate  and  to  transcend  the  truth  of  Bud¬ 
dhism? 

4.  Just  what  is  the  value  of  symbols  for  worship?  How 
important  is  it  that  symbols  should  be  unequivocal  in  their  sug¬ 
gestive  power?  Does  a  lighted  candle  before  a  church  altar  in 
the  West  lose  its  value  for  us  because  of  its  possible  suggestion 
of  the  cult  of  fire  worship?  Why,  or  why  not? 

6.  CONCERNING  THE  LIGHT  WHICH  LIGHTETH  EVERY  MAN 

There  have  been  those  who  have  regarded  non-Chris¬ 
tian  religions  as  coming  wholly  from  the  Devil.  Any 
good  that  might  be  found  in  them  was  explained  as  a 
borrowing  from  Christianity,  or  as  inserted  by  the  Devil 
in  order  the  better  to  deceive.  Others  believe  that  God 
has  not  left  himself  without  witness  among  any  people, 
and  that  there  has  always  been  a  Light  that  shineth  in 
darkness.  When  such  find  truth  or  beauty  in  non- 
Christian  systems,  they  take  it  as  trace  of  this  Light, 
and  rejoice  in  it  as  a  real  token  of  God’s  working.  A 
few  examples  will  raise  the  issue. 

a.  Thankfulness  for  pagodas.  A  few  years  ago  the 
veteran  missionary,  the  Rev.  Timothy  Richard,  D.D., 
and  two  younger  missionaries  were  walking  down  Rul¬ 
ing  Mountain  in  Central  China.  Far  in  the  distance  Dr. 

65 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


Richard  pointed  out  the  beautiful  pagoda  which  towers 
above  the  city  of  Kiukiang  twelve  miles  away.  Then  he 
asked  his  younger  companions,  “Gentlemen,  how  do  you 
feel  when  you  look  at  a  beautiful  pagoda  like  that?” 
After  a  little  pause  one  said,  “Well,  it  makes  me  feel 
sad.”  “It  makes  you  feel  sad?”  asked  Mr.  Richard. 
“Why,  it  makes  me  feel  glad.  If  the  Chinese  had  no 
pagodas  or  other  beautiful  structures  attesting  to  their 
deep  religious  instincts,  it  would  be  of  very  little  use  for 
others  to  try  to  put  it  into  their  hearts.  It  is  because  the 
Great  Husbandman  long  ago  sowed  into  their  hearts  the 
seeds  of  vital  religion  that  there  is  hope  for  fruitage 
from  our  work.” 

b.  Using  non-Christian  scriptures  along  with  the  Bible . 
Some  ten  years  ago  the  Nile  Mission  Press  issued  a 
series  of  tracts  or  sermonettes  for  Muhammadans. 
Each  sermon  was  based  on  two  texts,  one  from  the 
Koran,  and  one  from  the  Bible.  The  material  in  these 
tracts  was  excellent,  and  they  were  distributed  by  vari¬ 
ous  agencies,  though  with  some  misgivings  on  the  part 
of  some. 

c.  The  use  of  a  classical  prayer  from  Hinduism.  One 
of  our  recent  mission  study  books  in  America  had  at  the 
end  of  each  chapter  a  prayer.  At  the  end  of  one  chapter  1 
occurs  this  classical  Hindu  prayer:  “From  the  unreal 
lead  me  to  the  Real,  from  the  darkness  lead  me  to  Light, 
from  death  lead  me  to  Immortality.”  (Brihad-Aranyaka 
Upanishad,  1-3-28.  600  B.C.) 

d.  Respect  for  Confucius.  A  “new”  Chinese  official, 
when  asked  to  pay  reverence  to  the  tablet  of  Confucius, 
answered :  “I  refuse  to  worship  a  piece  of  firewood.” 

1  “Building  with  India,"  p.  115. 


66 


ATTITUDE  TO  NON-CHRISTIAN  RELIGIONS 


e.  Joking  about  a  non-Christian  religion.  There  is  a 
tendency  among  some  of  China’s  students,  Christians  and 
non-Christians,  to  scoff  at  China’s  religions.  A  form  of 
popular  amusement  is  to  quote  from  the  classics  sen¬ 
tences  out  of  their  context  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  them 
ridiculous.  Or  texts  may  be  introduced  into  jokes  made 
up  for  the  occasion.  One  day  some  Chinese  Christians 
held  a  large  meeting  in  an  old  ancestral  hall  in  their  vil¬ 
lage.  The  audience  was  mainly  Christian,  but  non- 
Christians  were  also  present.  There  were  some  fine 
addresses,  but  one  number  on  the  program  was  a  repre¬ 
sentation  of  Taoist  priests  by  Chinese  Christians.  For 
a  half  hour  they  made  the  people  laugh,  making  the 
Taoist  priests  ridiculous. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  How  would  you  answer  the  question  proposed  in  case  a? 

2.  How  would  you  refute  or  support  a  person  who  said  with 
reference  to  case  b,  “Such  a  procedure  gives  reverence  alike  to 
the  Bible  and  to  the  Koran.  It  acknowledges  the  two  books  to 
have  an  equal  authority.  Christianity  is  complete  in  itself.  We 
do  not  wish  to  place  it  beside  any  other,  but  to  give  it  instead 
of  all  other  faiths.” 

3.  Would  you  justify  the  use  of  a  Hindu  prayer  in  a  Christian 
textbook  on  missions  as  in  case  c?  Why,  or  why  not? 

4.  Should  a  missionary  quote  with  undiluted  approval  the 
statement  of  the  official  in  case  d? 

5.  Should  Christian  missionaries  seek  to  maintain  in  the  minds 
of  Chinese  students  (case  e)  respect  for  their  sages,  and  rever¬ 
ence  for  what  is  true  or  noble  in  their  teaching?  Explain  your 
position  on  this  question.  State  briefly  what  you  would  be 
inclined  to  say  to  the  Chinese  group  after  the  meeting  described 
in  e. 

6.  Would  you  rather,  or  not,  that  non-Christians  should  be 
devout  according  to  their  light,  until  such  a  time  as  they  hear  the 
Gospel?  Does  your  answer  have  any  bearing  at  all  upon  the 
question  as  to  whether  it  is  a  good  or  bad  thing  for  Christians 
to  make  the  incense  used  by  Chinese  non-Christian  worshippers 
described  in  case  b ,  page  35? 


67 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


7.  In  visiting  a  place  of  non-Christian  worship  what  should  be 
one’s  attitude?  If  the  place  were  not  only  idolatrous,  but  to 
your  standards  unaesthetic  and  repulsive,  would  your  sense  of 
missionary  obligation  lead  you  to  show  your  feelings?  Why,  or 
why  not  ? 

8.  Should  a  missionary  know  the  good  points  in  a  non-Christian 
religion?  Why?  Should  he  acknowledge  them  openly?  Why? 
When? 

9.  Some  are  urging  us  to  discard  the  use  of  the  words 
“heathen”  and  “pagan.”  What  can  be  said  for,  or  against,  this 
advice? 

10.  In  what  ways  should  our  attitudes  or  practice  be  affected 
by  the  conviction  that  there  is  “the  light  which  lighteth  every 
man  coming  into  the  world”? 


68 


Chapter  III 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 

1.  STRICT  ADHERENCE  TO  KNOWN  HEALTH  STANDARDS 

To  go  at  all  to  an  Eastern  country  involves  a  certain 
health  risk.  To  mingle  with  the  common  people  means  a 
greater  risk.  In  the  pursuit  of  one’s  work  one  may  use 
all  known  precautions,  feeling  a  definite  responsibility  to 
one’s  family  and  fellow  workers  to  maintain  health  at  its 
best,  and  interpreting  one’s  task  as  exhibiting  safe 
examples  of  hygienic  living  as  well  as  preaching.  Or  on 
occasion  one  may  wave  aside  precautions  for  the  sake 
of  manifesting  unhesitating  friendship,  in  the  belief  that 
the  risk  is  justifiable  or  that  God  will  care  for  one.  Let 
us  look  at  some  of  the  many  situations  on  the  foreign  field 
which  tempt  missionaries  to  disregard  modern  hygienic 
standards. 

a.  Drinking  impure  milk.  A  lady  physician  in  a  Pun¬ 
jab  village  was  offered  some  milk  to  drink  by  a  woman 
she  had  frequently  visited.  Quite  involuntarily  she  drew 
back  a  hit  as  the  milk  manifestly  was  not  clean.  The 
woman  noticing  this,  took  off  her  chadar  (head  cloth), 
strained  the  milk,  and  again  proffered  it.  This  time  the 
doctor  with  more  self-composure  drank  it  down. 

b.  A  sheet  as  a  tablecloth.  A  professor  in  a  mission 
college  was  in  the  habit  of  inviting  his  students  to  his 
home  for  meals.  The  students  quite  naturally  wished 

69 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 

to  return  the  hospitality  and  invited  their  professor  and 
his  wife  to  their  boarding  house.  The  students  ate  with 
their  fingers,  did  not  sit  at  tables,  and,  of  course,  did 
not  have  table  linen.  Remembering  the  white  tablecloth 
in  the  mission  home  and  wishing  to  make  their  guests  feel 
comfortable,  they  took  a  sheet  off  one  of  their  beds 
near  by  and  used  it  as  a  tablecloth. 

c.  Eating  native  food.  A  missionary  had  been  eager 
to  win  a  certain  conservative  family  in  his  station.  A 
dinner  invitation  came  from  them.  The  missionary  knew 
he  had  a  tendency  to  Oriental  disease;  but  to  refuse  the 
invitation  was  to  miss  a  prized  opportunity,  and  to  go 
but  not  eat  might  be  considered  impolite. 

d.  Eating  from  a  common  dish.  A  Chinese  scholar 
was  employed  as  teacher  in  a  language  school  for  mission¬ 
aries.  He  became  interested  in  Christianity  through  one 
of  his  pupils  who  was  a  doctor,  and  invited  her  to  his 
home  for  dinner.  After  they  were  seated  at  the  table 
and  ready  to  dip  into  the  common  dish,  he  said  to  his 
guest,  aI’ve  wanted  for  a  long  time  to  invite  some  of 
the  missionaries  to  my  home  so  that  I  could  ask  them 
questions  about  the  Christian  doctrine,  but  I  knew  they 
would  be  afraid  to  come  because  I  have  tuberculosis.  I 
thought  you  would  not  be  afraid  because  you  understand 
about  disease.”  The  doctor  continued  the  meal  with  her 
host,  each  dipping  chop-sticks  into  the  common  dish. 

e.  Accepting  hospitality.  Missionaries  in  Korea  are 
very  frequently  invited  to  the  homes  of  the  people,  and 
Korean  etiquette  requires  the  host  and  hostess  to  provide 
a  meal  or  at  least  some  food  for  their  guests.  The  ordi¬ 
nary  Korean  home  is  not  run  on  sanitary  lines.  Much 
of  the  food  is  cold.  The  dishes  have  probably  been 
washed  in  unclean  water,  and  the  food  prepared  in  water 

70 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


that  is  contaminated,  as  in  fact  almost  all  the  water 
available  for  any  purpose  contains  injurious  germs.  It 
is  hardly  possible  for  a  missionary  to  plead  that  he  cannot 
eat  Korean  food,  because  many  missionaries  like  it.  The 
particular  host  may  have  seen  his  guest  eat  Korean  food 
at  other  times,  possibly  when  he  knew  it  was  clean. 
Excuses  and  explanations  are  difficult.  One  missionary 
writes :  “The  result  is  that  most  of  us,  when  we  cannot 
easily  make  excuses,  select  some  kinds  of  food  that  we 
think  are  least  liable  to  be  carrying  germs  and,  with  a 
hope  and  prayer  that  we  will  escape  the  consequences  of 
our  rash  deed,  eat  the  food.  But  some  of  us  have  suf¬ 
fered  the  consequences  in  sickness  and  some  even  in  in¬ 
capacity  for  further  work.” 

/.  Sleeping  with  a  consumptive.  Down  in  the  worst 
slums  of  Kobe,  there  is  living  a  very  devoted  Christian 
worker  by  the  name  of  Kagawa.  With  his  cultured  wife 
he  makes  his  home  among  the  miserable  people  as  one  of 
them.  He  is  a  scholarly  man,  and  has  written  various 
valuable  books  on  the  labouring  classes.  How  did  he  be¬ 
come  such  a  worker?  Years  ago  he  was  taken  ill  with 
consumption  and  was  lying  under  a  little  green  mosquito 
net  upon  the  hard  board  floor  of  a  small  room  in  a  fisher¬ 
man’s  hut  by  the  seaside.  It  so  happened  that  a  mission¬ 
ary  came  along.  Instead  of  merely  offering  a  few  per¬ 
functory  words  of  comfort,  the  missionary  stayed  with 
him  for  several  days  and  slept  with  him  on  the  same  hard 
floor  under  the  same  little  mosquito  net.  Through  that 
act  of  fearless  devotion  the  sick  man  saw  the  heart  of 
Christ,  recovered  his  health,  and  now  is  showing  a  simi¬ 
lar  limitless  love  to  the  poor,  low-down  people  of  the 
Kobe  slums,  who  love  him  as  their  elder  brother.  After 
describing  this  incident  a  writer  adds :  “Yes,  that  is  the 
way,  and  it  is  all  worth  while.”  1 

1  “The  Outlook  of  Missions,”  1920,  p.  505. 

H 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


DISCUSSION 

1.  What  differing  attitudes  toward  danger  and  disease  may 
rightly  be  taken  by  doctors,  soldiers  (privates,  skilled  snipers, 
generals)  and  missionaries? 

2.  In  considering  these  cases  what  weight,  if  any,  should  be 
given  to  the  fact  that  the  missionary  has  spent  years  in  prepara¬ 
tion,  and  has  been  sent  out  at  great  expense?  In  other  words, 
what  really  determines  the  value  of  a  man? 

3.  What  has  the  modern  psychology  of  fear  to  do  with  the 
questions  of  this  section? 

4.  In  b  one  might  proceed  at  the  time  without  remonstrance 
over  the  novel  table  cloth,  and  then  later  call  the  leaders  of  the 
hostel  for  a  quiet  talk  where  the  Western  point  of  view  would 
be  explained,  so  that  such  a  situation  might  not  again  arise. 
What  other  constructive  educative  measures  can  you  suggest  for 
any  of  these  cases? 

5.  Try  to  clarify  these  incidents  according  to  various  standards 
(more  or  less  dangerous,  more  or  less  likely  to  bring  worthwhile 
results,  mere  etiquette,  Christian  duty,  etc.).  What  principles 
would  apply  to  each  class? 

6.  In  what  distinctive  way,  if  any,  can  a  Christian  (as  com¬ 
pared  with  a  non-Christian)  face  the  situations  of  this  section 
(Luke  12:4-34;  13:31-33)?  What  does  Jesus  mean  by  “do  not 
trouble”?  Is  there  such  a  thing  as  legitimate  foresight?  Illus¬ 
trate  from  the  cases  given.  How  do  you  think  Jesus  would  have 
met  these  cases? 

2.  THE  ACCEPTANCE  OF  LOWER  STANDARDS  FOR  NATIVE 

ASSOCIATES 

A  church  which  fails  to  exhibit  among  its  members  a 
brotherhood  that  rises  superior  to  all  barriers  of  race  or 
class  is  failing  in  that  which  is  an  essential  element  in 
Christianity.  In  abstract  theory  missionaries  assert  the 
spiritual  equality  of  all  men  and  the  infinite  worth  of 
every  human  being.  But  it  is  acknowledged  by  them 
that  an  attitude  of  superiority  may  unconsciously  creep 
into  thoughts  and  acts.  If  an  Indian  Christian  calls  on 

72 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


an  Occidental,  is  that  call  returned  with  care?  Are  home 
and  table  open  to  all  alike  without  distinction  of  race? 
Is  a  chair  offered  to  a  Chinese  as  quickly  as  to  a  for¬ 
eigner?  Do  Westerners  keep  a  native  waiting  their  con¬ 
venience,  or  are  they  careful  to  show  him  the  same  con¬ 
sideration  as  to  a  European?  In  conversation,  discus¬ 
sion,  or  debate,  do  missionaries  encourage  from  a  native 
an  equal  freedom  of  speech  and  expression  of  opinion  as 
from  one  of  their  own  race?  What  sometimes  lies  back 
of  the  ease  with  which  they  call  their  native  associates  by 
their  first  names,  when  these  associates  would  not  think 
of  reciprocating  that  freedom?  Why  do  some  West¬ 
erners  seem  to  have  a  feeling  that  a  native  can  be  put  off 
with  a  little  less  attention  than  a  European,  and  that  he 
will  not  notice  the  omission  ? 

The  sanitary,  economic  and  social  standards  to  which 
many  native  workers  in  the  employ  of  missions  have  been 
accustomed  from  youth  are  often  distinctly  lower  than 
Western  standards.  Their  standards  might  be  called  un- 
Christian  in  that  they  militate  against  full  and  wholesome 
life.  In  such  circumstances  a  problem  arises  for  the 
missionary.  Shall  he  encourage  higher  standards  and 
curtail  the  extension  of  his  work  so  as  to  be  able  to  pay 
his  workers  a  salary  that  will  make  these  higher  standards 
possible?  Or  shall  he  pay  them  more  or  less  at  the 
market  value  of  that  area  and  let  them  serve  under  the 
somewhat  unideal  conditions  which  seem  quite  natural 
to  them?  Some  examples  will  make  this  problem  clear. 
When  stated  baldly  in  written  form,  their  solution  may 
seem  quite  easy.  Perhaps  it  is  a  certain  social  blindness 
that  has  made  it  possible  for  such  problems  to  arise. 
Sometimes  it  seems  to  be  due  to  an  unconscious  assump¬ 
tion  that  it  is  perfectly  right  and  fitting  that  the  people 
among  whom  Westerners  work  should  have  lower  stand¬ 
ards  of  comfort  and  well-being. 

73 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


a.  Damp  servants’  quarters.  Behind  a  mission  college 
and  on  mission  land  are  the  servants’  quarters.  The  level 
is  such  that  in  the  rainy  season  the  small  mud-walled  huts 
which  have  no  plinth  become  very  damp.  Experience 
shows  that  the  servants  are  by  no  means  immune  from 
malarial  fever  and  rheumatism.  They  have  lived  here 
uncomplainingly  for  years ;  and  yet  no  European  would 
dream  of  living  in  these  conditions. 

b.  Accepting  current  standards.  Chinese  home  life  is 
very  different  from  what  we  consider  ideal  in  a  Christian 
home.  It  is  very  common  for  a  Chinese  man  of  business 
to  live  in  his  shop  and  to  come  home  only  when  it  is 
convenient  to  do  so.  The  influence  under  which  the 
children  are  brought  up  is  largely  that  of  the  women, 
for  the  children  of  business  men  and  officials  seldom  come 
into  continuous,  personal  contact  with  their  fathers. 
Many  merchants  return  to  their  homes  only  at  New 
Years,  and  others  only  once  in  a  number  of  years.  It  is 
not  uncommon  for  men  seldom  to  speak  to  their  wives, 
even  when  they  are  home.  Hence  no  one  in  the  Chinese 
community  would  think  it  wrong  for  the  mission  to  send 
its  Christian  Chinese  workers  off  into  more  or  less  dis¬ 
tant  regions  and  to  allow  them  to  return  home  only  once 
or  twice  a  year.  For  the  mission  to  send  families  with 
their  evangelists  to  out-stations  would  increase  the  cost 
and  curtail  the  extent  of  work.  A  similar  problem  arises 
in  connection  with  health  conditions.  The  prospective 
evangelist  and  his  family  may  already  be  living  in  such 
unhealthy  conditions  that  life  in  certain  out-stations 
would  not  increase  the  danger. 

c .  Neglecting  to  screen  native  quarters.  Most  mission 
boards  now  equip  the  houses  of  their  missionaries  with 
mosquito  screening,  although  in  many  cases  the  mission¬ 
aries  could  not  use  board  money  for  this  very  wise  pre- 

74 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


caution  until  comparatively  recent  times.  This  health  pre¬ 
caution  has  not  in  general  been  extended  to  the  houses 
of  native  Christian  workers  in  the  employ  of  the  mission. 
For  example,  in  one  station,  where  for  eight  years  the 
missionaries’  houses  have  been  screened,  the  nearby  stu¬ 
dent  dormitories,  dining  room  and  kitchen  remain  un¬ 
protected.  There  are  many  things  like  this  which  boards 
and  missionaries  would  like  to  do,  but  the  drain  on  per¬ 
petually  strained  budgets  would  be  very  great.  If  they 
have  hesitated  to  use  mission  funds  for  screening  the 
houses  for  25,000  missionaries,  how  much  more  will  they 
hesitate  to  appropriate  money  from  direct  evangelisation 
to  screen  the  homes  of  109,000  mission  workers. 

d.  Permitting  unhygienic  association.  Westerners 
have  begun  to  understand  somewhat  the  cause  and  pre¬ 
vention  of  tuberculosis.  The  danger  and  modes  of  con¬ 
tagion  are  not,  as  a  rule,  understood  in  mission  lands. 
Two  native  mission  workers  have  been  chosen  to  itinerate 
together.  The  district  needs  their  help  very  much.  They 
seem  ideally  suited  to  do  team-work  together.  One 
plainly  has  tuberculosis,  and  yet  they  are  quite  ready  to 
live  together. 

e.  Employment  of  a  mother.  An  Indian  Christian 
widow  has  three  small  children  under  school  age.  She 
must  earn  her  living,  and  by  training  she  is  fitted  to  act 
as  a  Bible  woman  visiting  the  zenanas  of  non-Christians. 
The  regular  pay  of  the  mission  for  this  type  of  work  does 
not  enable  her  to  employ  some  one  to  look  after  the  chil¬ 
dren  when  she  is  away  from  them.  So  she  takes  the  baby 
with  her  to  the  zenanas  and  locks  the  older  two  children 
out  of  the  house  to  look  after  themselves  during  the  three 
or  four  hours  she  is  out. 

f.  Slackness  in  a  hospital.  The  1920  minutes  of  one 
of  the  most  successful  missions  of  one  of  the  largest 

75 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


boards  working  in  China  make  the  following  state¬ 
ment  : 

“After  fifty  years  of  medical  work  we  find  that  at 
least  90  per  cent  of  our  in-patients  are  sleeping  on  brick 
kangs  or  wooden  Chinese  beds,  using  their  own  filthy 
clothing  and  bedding;  fully  50  per  cent  are  being  nursed 
by  their  own  ignorant  relatives  and  being  fed  by  food 
prepared  by  their  own  friends  who  cater  to  the  patient’s 
likes  and  dislikes  regardless  of  the  doctor’s  wishes  and 
therefore  do  more  harm  than  good.  The  majority  of  the 
buildings  used  as  hospitals  and  dispensaries  are  un¬ 
screened,  poorly  lighted,  inadequately  ventilated,  and  un¬ 
heated  in  winter.  The  toilet  and  lavatory  facilities  are 
criminal  to  say  the  least,  and  very  few  of  our  in-patients 
get  a  bath  even  when  entering  the  hospital  for  treatment.” 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Most  missions  make  a  practice  of  supporting  many  native 
evangelists  and  teachers  from  mission  funds.  In  a  certain  sense, 
therefore,  they  are  employers  of  labour,  and  cannot  escape  the 
responsibility  involved  in  this  relationship.  In  certain  areas 
(among  the  mass  movements  in  India,  for  example)  the  Indian 
co-workers  may  come  from  a  group  distinctly  backward  in  every 
way. 

(a)  A  mission  could  accept  service  at  the  level  at  which  the 
people  are  quite  willing  to  give  it,  which  in  many  cases  is  very 
meagre  and  inadequate  judged  by  any  proper  standard  of 
abundant  life.  In  other  words,  the  mission  could  adopt  the  cur¬ 
rent  market  value  in  employment. 

(b)  Realising  that  many  may  not  understand  or  appreciate 
higher  standards  (screened  houses,  a  library,  etc.)  a  mission 
might  decide  not  to  make  possible  more  than  would  be  valued. 
This  position  would  involve  a  judgment  of  the  stage  of  growth 
or  appreciation  reached  by  individuals  coming  out  of  a  con¬ 
scripted  and  meagre  life. 

(c)  The  mission  might  feel  it  advisable  to  give  what  might  be 
called  a  minimum  living  wage — a  wage  adequate  for  a  modest 
but  more  or  less  complete  life,  by  hypothesis  more  than  (a)  or 
(b) — even  though  appreciation  of  sanitary  devices  or  education 

76 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


had  not  developed  sufficiently  to  ensure  that  the  wage  would  be 
used  for  the  elements  which  had  been  regarded  as  essential  for 
the  average  Christian  life.  This  would  involve  a  study  of  the 
minimum  living  wage  for  that  area  and  that  group,  and  the  be¬ 
stowal  of  this  wage  apart  from  the  consideration  of  its  probable 
use. 

(d)  Or  the  mission  might  decide  to  apply  the  golden  rule  and 
give  to  the  native  worker  what  under  similar  circumstances  the 
missionary  would  like  to  receive.  Judgment  on  this  basis  for 
most  people  would  result  in  an  allowance  to  the  native  co-worker 
higher  than  (c). 

At  which  of  these  levels  should  mission  funds  be  used?  What 
other  analysis  of  the  situation  would  you  prefer  to  make  in  order 
to  reach  a  better  decision? 

2.  If  current  native  conditions  should  not  be  accepted  by  a 
mission  as  the  criterion  of  what  it  should  provide,  what  standard 
should  be  operative? 

3.  If  the  evangelist  is  an  ignorant  man,  to  what  extent  should 
the  missionary  place  full  responsibility  on  him  for  the  conse¬ 
quences  of  accepting  an  appointment  to  a  place  where  sanitary 
conditions  are  not  what  they  should  be  (as  in  case  b  and  d)  ? 

4.  Explain  the  grounds,  if  any,  upon  which  a  distinction  can 
be  made  in  the  obligation  of  providing  screens  for  foreign  mis¬ 
sionaries  and  for  native  workers  (case  c ).  What  weight  would 
you  give  to  the  probability  that  the  screens  would  soon  have  to 
be  replaced  in  many  a  native  home?  Is  the  question  affected 
by  the  fact  as  to  whether  the  mission  worker  lives  in  a  mission- 
owned  home  or  not?  What  would  be  the  equivalent  of  screen¬ 
ing  the  mission  worker’s  house,  in  the  case  of  one  who  did  not 
live  in  mission  property? 

5.  If  your  constructive  plan  for  the  consumptive  in  case  d 
should  require  money,  would  you  use  mission  funds,  personal 
funds,  or  make  your  action  dependent  upon  the  ability  of  the 
worker  to  finance  your  plan? 

6.  Is  it  right  to  employ  the  woman  in  case  e?  Explain.  What 
would  be  your  constructive  plan  for  this  woman? 

7.  The  particular  mission  referred  to  in  f  has  thirteen  hos¬ 
pitals  with  a  total  of  300  beds,  and  eleven  dispensaries  having 
125,000  visits  a  year.  What  suggestion  has  this  situation  to  give 
in  the  consideration  of  the  difficult  question  as  to  whether  a 
mission  should  pursue  an  extensive  or  intensive  policy?  How 
should  the  medical  missionary  task  be  interpreted — ministering 
to  the  maximum  number,  or  establishing  model  institutions  to 

77 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


show  the  way?  In  this  instance  is  any  moral  principle  involved? 
If  so,  what? 


3.  DRAWING  RACIAL  LINES 

a.  Common  use  of  sanitaria.  A  certain  mission  in 
Ceylon  has  by  the  seashore  a  cottage  which  has  been  a 
great  boon  to  the  missionaries  as  a  place  to  which  to 
retire  for  rest  and  refreshment.  When  not  actually  in 
use  by  members  of  this  mission,  it  has  been  rented  to 
members  of  other  missions.  In  course  of  time  a  Euro¬ 
pean  school  inspector  applied  for  permission  to  use  the 
cottage.  His  request  was  granted.  Later  a  Eurasian 
school  inspector  applied,  and  he  also  was  given  permis¬ 
sion.  Finally  a  Tamil  school  inspector  asked  for  the  use 
of  the  cottage.  This  brought  on  a  great  debate  in  the 
mission. 

Similarly,  a  Siam  mission  owns  a  sanitarium  at  the 
seaside,  consisting  of  several  houses,  where  the  mission¬ 
aries  can  go  for  rest  during  the  hot  months.  Frequently, 
on  account  of  illness,  a  Siamese  Christian  worker  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  mission  asks  for  the  privilege  of  using 
one  of  these  houses,  often  at  a  time  when  it  will  not  be 
used  by  missionaries. 

The  difficulty  in  permitting  the  people  of  the  land  to 
use  such  houses  arises  from  the  difference  in  standards  of 
living.  Among  them  are  those  who  would  not  know  how 
to  take  care  of  mattresses,  who  might  think  it  perfectly 
proper  to  chew  betel  nut,  and  who,  in  spite  of  all  good 
intentions,  might  leave  the  house  in  an  unattractive,  and 
perhaps  unhealthful  condition.  Members  of  the  mission 
might  not  feel  safe  in  taking  their  families  into  such 
houses  after  those  whose  standards  of  sanitation  are  not 
Western.  Some  missionaries  find  it  rests  them  more  to 
get  entirely  away  from  the  natives,  and  therefore  want 
their  sanitaria  reserved  for  people  of  their  own  race. 

78 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


b.  Common  play.  A  returned  missionary  in  an  ad¬ 
dress  said,  “Of  course,  we  can’t  let  our  children  asso¬ 
ciate  with  Japanese  children.”  A  missionary  wife  in 
India  made  it  a  practice  never  to  let  her  children  asso¬ 
ciate  with  Indian  children.  It  was  understood  that  even 
Indian  Christians  were  not  to  call  with  their  children. 
Sometimes  this  segregation  of  missionary  children  be¬ 
comes  a  burning  question  in  the  Christian  community, 
and  they  say,  “Missionaries  give  themselves,  but  not  their 
children.” 

The  main  explanation  of  this  segregation  is  not  found 
in  race  prejudice.  In  lands  where  small-pox  is  consid¬ 
ered  a  necessary  evil,  and  where  scarlet  fever  constantly 
claims  victims,  but  where  quarantine  is  an  unknown  pre¬ 
caution,  missionary  parents  must  be  alert.  There  are  in 
most  countries  families  of  education  and  Christian  cul¬ 
ture  who  feel  as  particular  about  their  children’s  health 
and  morals  as  does  the  missionary.  The  children  of  such 
people  may  be  welcomed  as  playmates  of  the  children  of 
missionaries. 

But  another  problem  arises  at  this  point — the  danger 
of  arousing  jealousy.  For  example,  some  years  ago  a 
missionary  adopted  a  Chinese  girl,  put  her  through  school, 
and  acted  as  a  go-between  in  selecting  a  husband  for  the 
girl.  Naturally  the  children  of  this  union  were  as  the 
missionary’s  own  grandchildren,  and  they  played  with  the 
foreign  children  in  the  mission  premises.  This  was  quite 
satisfactory  to  all  concerned,  but  it  awakened  such  jeal¬ 
ousy  on  the  part  of  other  families  that  a  difficult  situation 
developed. 

c.  Common  worship.  In  some  mission  areas  it  is  with 
considerable  hesitation  that  missionaries  take  their  chil¬ 
dren  to  the  native  church  service.  They  believe  in  estab¬ 
lishing  church-going  habits,  in  the  influence  of  good 
example,  and  in  racial  unity  in  worship.  But  in  so  doing 

79 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


they  consciously  permit  the  children  to  run  the  risk  of 
infection  from  disease,  for  precautions  are  not  always 
understood,  and  the  people  are  often  both  impulsive  and 
affectionate  toward  the  little  ones  of  the  missionary 
group. 


DISCUSSION 

1.  How  would  you  criticise  the  principle  that  no  missionary 
should  insist  on  enjoying  a  privilege  that  he  is  not  willing  to 
share  with  his  fellow  Christians  about  him? 

2.  In  general,  which  of  the  following  procedures  do  you  think 
would  be  best  for  case  a:  To  draw  a  colour  line  and  limit  certain 
privileges  to  foreigners ;  to  take  applications  impartially  in 
turn,  willingly  undergoing  risks  in  health  for  the  sake  of  oneness 
with  the  people ;  or  to  take  up  each  case  on  its  merits,  making 
no  rule  based  on  race,  but  running  the  risk  of  grievously  offend¬ 
ing  certain  individuals  who  might  be  adjudged  hygienically  or 
morally  unworthy?  On  what  arguments  do  you  base  your 
decision? 

3.  At  various  places  on  the  mission  field  (  e.g.,  Shanghai, 
Woodstock,  Kodai-Kanal,  etc.)  there  are  schools  primarily  in¬ 
tended  for  the  children  of  missionaries.  Conducted  as  they  are 
in  English,  under  Western  teachers,  these  schools  enable  parents 
to  keep  their  children  with  them  longer,  and  yet  send  them  home 
prepared  to  fit  eventually  into  the  educational  system  of  the 
West.  There  is  often  a  demand  from  the  better  class  of  Chris¬ 
tians  in  each  land  (native  or  Eurasian)  that  their  children 
should  be  admitted  to  these  schools.  Classify  the  following 
considerations  as  to  this  question  as  primary,  or  secondary :  that 
sometimes  the  English  spoken  in  a  mixed  school  has  a  distinct 
intonation  that  is  fixed  upon  a  missionary’s  child  for  life;  the 
belief  that  whether  the  children  are  later  to  serve  in  America 
or  on  the  mission  field  they  will  be  broader  and  better  for  coming 
into  touch  with  the  best  elements  of  another  civilisation  than 
their  own;  that  standards  of  conduct  and  speech  might  not  be 
satisfactory;  the  Christian  desire  to  express  a  feeling  of  equality 
in  every  way  with  the  people  among  which  you  work;  that  there 
would  be  difficulty  in  deciding  between  worthy  and  unworthy 
Nationals;  that  a  school  intended  to  fit  American  children  to 
enter  an  American  educational  system  would  be  unsuited  to  the 
children  of  the  land;  that  association  with  Western  children 

80 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


would  tend  to  denationalise  native  children.  What  other  con¬ 
siderations  should  enter  into  the  decision? 

4.  On  what  grounds  or  under  what  conditions  may  mission¬ 
aries  justly  or  wisely  bring  upon  their  children  risks  as  to  health 
and  morals  due  to  environment  or  prolonged  separation? 


4.  WESTERNERS  UNDER  NATIVE  CONTROL 

In  the  effort  to  establish  a  genuine  partnership  be¬ 
tween  Westerners  and  the  people  of  other  lands  in  the 
evangelisation  of  their  countries  consideration  must  be 
given  to  the  position  of  the  Western  personnel.  Here¬ 
tofore  it  has  been  the  general  rule  for  Indians  and  Chinese 
in  missionary  service  to  work  under  foreign  control.  It 
has,  until  very  recently,  been  very  exceptional  for  a  mis¬ 
sionary  to  serve  under  an  Indian  or  a  Chinese  or  a 
Japanese  controlling  body.  It  is  increasingly  evident  that 
native  leaders  must  share  in  administration  and  control. 
For  example,  radical  proposals  are  being  made  in  vari¬ 
ous  missions  suggesting  that  missionaries  be  asked  for, 
located,  and  retained  only  with  the  full  approval  of  the 
native  church  or  body  concerned.1 

The  possibility  of  these  new'relations  may  arouse  feel¬ 
ings  of  racial  superiority  that  have  been  more  or  less  un¬ 
conscious.  In  a  mission  meeting,  where  the  advisability 
of  appointing  a  Japanese  Bishop  was  being  discussed,  one 
missionary  remarked,  “Do  you  suppose  I  would  take 
orders  from  a  Japanese  Bishop?  Never.  I  came  here 
to  do  for  them,  not  serve  under  them.”  A  similar  atti¬ 
tude  was  betrayed  by  a  missionary  leader  in  a  local 
church  in  America,  who  made  the  following  remark  re¬ 
ferring  to  the  people  of  India:  “Fm  interested  in  them 
and  want  to  help  them  all  I  can,  and  I  am  sure  our 
church  wants  to  help  them.  Just  what  can  we  do  for 
them?”  But  when  asked,  “Do  you  wish  them  to  help 

l  Cf.  “Japan  Evangelist,”  Vol.  25,  p.  250. 

81 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


you?”  the  person  hesitated.  “Well,  I  had  not  thought 
about  that.  No,  I  hardly  think  so.” 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  racial  attitude  is  suggested  by  the  following  quota¬ 
tions? 

(a)  “There  is  also  among  many  a  tendency  to  think  and  say 
that  the  foreign  missionary  always  regards  himself  a  superior 
being,  whatever  his  limitations  may  be.”  1 

(b)  “The  question  as  to  whether  there  should  or  should  not 
be  foreign  workers  under  the  direction  of  the  Chinese  bishop 
might  well  prove  the  most  serious  of  all  problems  were  the 
Church  to  adopt  the  new  policy.”  2 

2.  Criticise  the  following  statement:3 

“A  genuine  partnership  involves  reciprocity,  and  if  on  the  one 
hand  many  Indian  Christian  workers  are  under  the  control  of 
a  body  composed  of  foreigners,  it  would  seem  that  hesitation  on 
the  part  of  foreign  missionaries  to  place  themselves  under  the 
direction  of  an  Indian  body  is  a  denial  of  the  principle  of  equality 
and  brotherhood.” 

3.  What  are  the  reasons  why  it  should  ever  be  suggested  that 
foreign  missionaries  should  work  under  the  control  of  leaders  of 
the  land  to  which  they  go? 

4.  Under  what  circumstances  might  one  rightly  object  to  being 
under  such  control? 

5.  Remembering  that  the  missionary  aim  is  not  so  much  to 
get  things  done  as  to  help  people  grow,  try  to  state  the  ideal  rela¬ 
tion  between  missionaries  officially  and  unofficially  (administra¬ 
tive  power  to  direct  action,  authority  to  coerce  judgment,  demo¬ 
cratic  partner,  helper,  etc.). 

6.  What  application,  if  any,  has  John  13 : 2-17  to  the  inter¬ 
racial  question  raised  in  this  section? 

7.  Of  the  following  words  used  with  reference  to  other  races, 
which  would  you  discard,  which  prefer,  and  why:  inferior, 
superior,  retarded,  backward,  primitive,  exotic,  undeveloped? 

8.  Suppose  a  change  from  foreign  to  native  control  would 
involve  a  lessening  of  efficiency,  would  this  be  conclusive  against 
the  change?  Explain.  In  the  light  of  your  answer  criticise  a 
principle  often  enunciated,  viz. :  choose  the  best  man  for  a  given 
task  whether  he  be  foreign  or  native  to  the  country. 

1  Report  of  a  Conference  at  Bangalore,  India,  “Young  Men  of  India,” 
Vol.  29,  p.  453. 

2  International  Review  of  Missions,  Vol.  9,  p.  398. 

8  Ibid.,  p.  243. 


82 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


9.  Should  a  Christian  be  more  expectant  than  an  agnostic 
with  reference  to  the  possibilities  in  other  peoples?  On  what 
grounds?  With  what  support,  if  any,  from  the  history  of 
missions? 

5.  DEMANDING  ONE’S  RIGHTS  AND  APPEAL  TO  LAW 

Since  Christian  missions  aim  to  express  Christ’s  mes¬ 
sage  of  love  and  blessing,  and  since  their  ostensible  pur¬ 
pose  is  to  do  good  to  the  people,  their  representatives 
have  to  be  particularly  careful  of  their  procedure  in 
cases  of  insult  or  injury.  There  are  those  who  think 
that  missionaries  should  stand  for  their  full  legal  rights. 
They  would  say  that  no  people  is  without  a  sense  of 
fairness,  and  hence  the  interests  of  order  and  justice 
make  the  demand  for  compensation  advisable ;  that  the 
surrender  of  a  just  and  legal  claim  would  only  increase 
lawlessness;  that  a  missionary  or  mission  is  obligated  to 
co-operate  in  supporting  just  principles  of  personal, 
national,  or  international  law ;  and  that  the  quiet  assump¬ 
tion  of  the  protection  to  which  one  is  legitimately  entitled 
will  ultimately  be  most  helpful  to  all  interests. 

Others  hold  that  missionaries  should  never  make  any 
claim.  There  seems  to  be  unanimity  in  this  attitude  when 
it  is  a  question  of  compensation  for  loss  of  life.  But 
even  in  property  losses,  some  would  emphasise  the  effect 
of  patient  endurance  and  forgiveness.  To  do  otherwise 
would  be  to  demonstrate  the  old  law  of  “an  eye  for  an 
eye,”  rather  than  the  law  of  love.  Many  would  adopt 
a  midway  course  between  these  extremes.  They  would 
assert  that  fidelity  to  the  law  of  service  and  interest  in 
the  true  and  lasting  welfare  of  mankind  will  lead  one 
sometimes  to  accept,  sometimes  to  reject  compensation. 
The  problem  is  raised  in  a  great  variety  of  situations. 

a.  Property.  Twenty  years  ago  a  well-disposed  vil¬ 
lager  in  Ceylon  gave  a  mission  permission  to  build  a 

83 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


school  on  his  property.  After  the  lapse  of  twenty  years 
he  changed  his  mind,  opposed  the  mission  work,  and 
demanded  the  land  on  which  the  mission  had  built  its 
school  building.  He  threatened  to  sue  the  mission  in 
the  courts,  but  the  missionaries  knew  that  by  law  the 
land,  after  ten  years  of  unquestioned  possession  by  the 
mission,  could  not  be  reclaimed  by  the  former  owner. 
The  school  could  not  be  removed  without  serious  loss. 
Land  had  increased  in  value  in  the  twenty  years,  and 
no  other  suitable  land  seemed  available. 

Several  similar  problems  have  arisen  in  the  same  mis¬ 
sion,  and  it  has  usually  defended  its  rights  in  the  courts. 
The  missionaries  have  considered  that  in  work  of  a 
helpful,  philanthropic,  religious  character,  such  as  they 
were  carrying  on,  one  man’s  change  of  heart  should  not 
be  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  general  welfare.  The 
result  has  been  serious  anti-mission  feeling  on  the  part 
of  the  people  concerned. 

b.  Injury  to  summer  homes.  A  certain  piece  of  prop¬ 
erty  in  a  summer  resort  in  China,  belonging  to  a  number 
of  missionaries,  was  injured  by  Chinese  soldiers.  The 
missionaries  met  to  discuss  whether  they  should  appeal 
for  an  indemnity.  At  this  meeting  the  majority  felt  that 
a  lesson  in  respect  for  law  and  order  was  fitting,  and 
that  future  difficulty  would  probably  be  prevented  if  a 
moderate  indemnity,  sufficient  to  repair  the  property,  was 
demanded. 

c.  Damage  from  riot.  A  riot  broke  out  in  Tokyo  at 
the  close  of  the  war  with  Russia  as  a  result  of  dissatis¬ 
faction  with  the  terms  of  peace.  Some  mission  property 
was  damaged,  but  most  of  the  missions  affected  thought 
it  inadvisable  to  ask  for  compensation  from  the  govern¬ 
ment.  Contributions  made  by  Christians,  Shintoists,  and 
Buddhists  compensated  for  a  part  of  the  damage. 

84 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


d.  Destruction  with  official  connivance.  In  the  Boxer 
uprising  the  entire  mission  compound  in  Weihsien  was 
destroyed  with  the  wanton  connivance  of  the  local  offi¬ 
cials.  The  missionaries  felt  that  those  who  could  so 
easily  have  prevented  the  destruction  of  the  property 
should  bear  some  of  the  cost  of  rebuilding.  And  yet 
they  saw  that  both  gentry  and  people  were  sullen  and 
resentful,  and  that  full  indemnity  could  be  exacted  only 
by  fear  or  force.  They  became  convinced  that  such  an 
exaction  would  embitter  the  people  and  prejudice  Chris¬ 
tian  influence  for  decades.  So  they  decided  to  share  the 
loss  with  the  Chinese,  and  to  bear  a  part  of  the  punish¬ 
ment  with  the  guilty,  in  the  hope  that  their  foes,  moved 
by  such  an  example  of  Christian  love,  would  be  concili¬ 
ated  toward  the  work  of  the  mission.  Accordingly,  after 
having  made  plain  to  the  Chinese  officials  that  the  bona- 
fide  loss  was  64,421  taels,  they  voluntarily  reduced  their 
claim  to  45,000  taels,  and  divided  all  the  rest  of  the 
loss  among  themselves.  Yuan  Shih  Kai  did  not  hide  his 
grateful  appreciation  of  the  spirit  manifested  by  the  mis¬ 
sionaries. 

e.  A  memorial  as  indemnity.  In  a  note  of  November 
7,  1906,  Secretary  Root  proposed  to  the  Persian  Gov¬ 
ernment  in  regard  to  the  expiation  for  the  murder  of 
Rev.  Benjamin  W.  Labaree: 

“In  like  cases,  which  have  occurred  elsewhere  within 
recent  years,  notably  in  the  Chinese  empire,  a  practical 
solution  of  the  problem  has  been  found  and  one  which 
may  be  followed  with  singular  appropriateness  in  the 
present  case.  It  is  that  the  money  penalty  exacted  in 
punishment  of  the  crime  shall  be  devoted  to  the  erection 
of  a  permanent  memorial  structure,  such  as  a  hospital 
or  school,  to  stand  as  a  monument  in  reprobation  of  the 
crime  and  as  a  beneficent  augury  of  a  better  state  of 
things  to  come.  Such  a  memorial  building  erected  in  the 

85 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


neighbourhood  of  the  murder,  with  an  appropriate  in¬ 
scription,  would  serve  as  a  lasting  lesson  in  favour  of 
law  and  order,  besides  doing  a  work  of  good  among  the 
Persian  people.”  1 


DISCUSSION 

1.  In  case  a  should  the  missionaries  insist  on  the  title  and  meet 
the  man  in  court?  Agree  to  give  up  the  title  as  soon  as  other 
land  can  be  secured,  providing  the  original  owner  will  pay  the 
cost  of  removal?  Give  over  all  rights  at  once?  Submit  the 
question  to  non-Christian  public  opinion,  willing  thus  to  demon¬ 
strate  their  good  will,  and  confident  that  their  school  had  actually 
been  run  so  as  to  be  of  community  value?  Or  would  something 
else  be  better? 

2.  In  matters  of  this  kind  under  what  kind  of  circumstances, 
if  any,  should  a  place  be  given  to  each  of  the  following  consid¬ 
erations  :  self-interest,  resentment,  forbearance,  the  bearing  of 
one’s  action  on  the  interests  of  others,  levying  a  sum  beyond  the 
bare  equivalent  as  a  punitive  measure,  on  the  part  of  a  Christian 
mission?  On  the  part  of  a  Christian  nation? 

3.  Should  the  obligation  or  the  privilege  of  taking  compensa¬ 
tion  differ,  depending  on  whether  the  insult  or  injury  is  to  a 
country,  a  mission,  or  an  individual  missionary?  In  other  words, 
has  the  larger  group  an  obligation  to  maintain  prestige  or  to 
enforce  rights  which  does  not  arise  when  the  issue  affects  a 
single  individual?  Give  the  grounds  for  your  judgment. 

4.  In  one  mission  land  there  may  be  a  highly  ordered  govern¬ 
ment  voluntarily  extending  freedom  of  conscience  to  all.  In 
another  the  government  may  still  be  affected  by  extra-terri¬ 
toriality  and  may  have  granted  freedom  of  conscience  only  be¬ 
cause  of  treaty  pressure  with  no  preparatory  public  sentiment 
behind  it.  How  would  the  obligation  for  helping  a  community 
to  maintain  high  principles  of  responsibility  through  the  payment 
of  compensation  to  Christian  missions  differ  in  the  two  cases? 
In  other  words,  to  what  extent  may  it  be  said  that  the  propriety 
of  acceptance  of  indemnity  by  a  mission  is  in  large  degree  a 
question  as  to  the  stage  of  advancement  reached  by  the  people 
among  whom  a  wrong  has  been  committed? 

5.  In  what  way  would  the  question  of  accepting  compensation 
be  affected  by  the  fact  of  its  being  offered  voluntarily,  or  de¬ 
manded  by  law? 

1  “Foreign  Relations,”  1907,  Part  II,  pp.  943-4. 

86 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


6.  Suppose  it  were  ascertained  that  the  levied  compensation 
was  obtained  by  an  oppressive,  corrupt,  or  irritating  assessment 
on  a  town  or  district,  how  should  this  influence  one’s  action? 

7.  Disinterestedness  and  kindliness  might  be  shown  by  refusing 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  punishment,  compensation,  or  in¬ 
demnity.  Are  there  other  ways  of  showing  the  Christian  attitude 
through  better,  more  positive,  and  more  constructive  measures 
(case  e,  for  example)  ?  Apply  your  answer  to  the  cases  given 
above,  and  give  any  other  illustration  known  to  you. 

8.  In  what  way  have  your  decisions  in  these  matters  been 
based  on  your  conception  of  what  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  would 
prompt? 

6.  SECURING  JUSTICE  FOR  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS 

In  every  mission  land  where  Christians  are  persecuted, 
cases  of  gross  injustice  are  by  no  means  uncommon,  and 
the  impulse  that  comes  to  the  missionary  to  use  his  in¬ 
fluence  in  behalf  of  the  afflicted  convert  is  almost  irre¬ 
sistible.  Interference  seems,  in  many  cases,  an  obvious 
and  necessary  act  of  Christian  brotherhood.  While  every 
mission  field  presents  this  problem,  it  has  aroused  more 
attention  in  China  than  in  any  other  field.  There  the 
Roman  Catholics  have  made  themselves  notorious  by  an 
excessive  use  of  their  influence  on  officials  in  behalf  of 
Roman  converts.  Experienced  missionaries  of  the  Prot¬ 
estant  Churches  in  China  overwhelmingly  discourage  the 
use  of  their  prestige  as  privileged  foreigners,  and  even 
of  the  name  of  their  church  or  mission,  in  connection 
with  any  law  case.  It  is  acknowledged  that  there  are  oc¬ 
casionally  extreme  cases  where  the  demands  of  humanity 
demand  interference.  But  even  here,  it  is  in  general 
deemed  wise  that  the  missionary  should  not  act  as  an 
individual,  but  should  appeal  through  the  head  or  the 
local  board  of  his  mission. 

The  reasons  for  this  position  have  grown  out  of  long 
experience.  The  influence  of  the  missionary  often  comes, 
in  the  last  analysis,  from  a  dread  of  the  foreign  govern- 

87 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


ment  at  his  back;  and  even  an  indirect  appeal  to  this 
is  irritating.  The  protection  which  missionaries  were 
able  to  extend,  and  actually  did  extend  to  Christians,  led 
multitudes  of  unworthy  persons  to  attach  themselves  to 
the  church.  When  the  prestige  of  the  foreigner  was 
used  to  help  such  it  led  to  a  miscarriage  of  justice  and 
to  the  discredit  of  the  church.  In  ordinary  lawsuits, 
where  a  Christian  is  one  of  the  parties,  it  is  considered 
most  harmful  for  a  missionary  to  appear  as  his  backer, 
even  though  he  may  be  convinced  that  his  presence  will 
help  to  secure  a  fair  hearing  and  a  just  decision.1  Con¬ 
sider  some  concrete  cases. 

a.  When  persecuted  by  Roman  Catholics.  Mr.  Chow, 
a  silversmith,  became  interested  in  Christianity  through 
a  tract  received  from  an  American  missionary  and  later 
became  a  catechumen  in  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
Finding  himself  in  bad  company,  he  left  the  church  to 
the  mortal  offence  of  his  co-religionists.  His  reception 
by  an  American  Protestant  mission,  after  the  usual  six 
months’  probation,  led  the  Roman  Catholics  to  make  a 
determined  effort  to  punish  him  for  his  apostasy.  They 
lodged  with  a  foreign  priest  near  by  a  false  charge  that 
Mr.  Chow  had  led  an  attack  upon  one  of  their  chapels. 
The  priest  took  the  matter  up  and  had  the  silversmith 
thrown  into  prison.  The  American  missionaries  had 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  charge  was  absolutely 
false.  Furthermore  there  was  an  epidemic  of  typhus 
in  the  jail  which  made  imprisonment  awaiting  trial  very 
dangerous. 

b.  When  oppressed  by  corrupt  officials.  One  of  the 
most  loyal  members  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Peking  was 

l  Consult  the  World’s  Missionary  Conference,  1910,  Vol.  VII,  pp.  13-15, 
and  “Mission  Problems  and  Methods  in  South  China,”  T.  Campbell  Gibson, 
Chap.  XI. 


88 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


Mr.  Yung  Tao,  a  wealthy  merchant.  Some  few  years 
ago  he  became  a  Christian.  From  this  time  on  he  vigor¬ 
ously  attacked  many  of  the  public  officials  for  their  cor¬ 
ruption  and  naturally  greatly  angered  them.  They  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  capturing  him,  gave  him  a  long  prison  sentence 
on  a  trumped-up  charge,  and  it  was  generally  understood 
that  he  would  never  come  out  alive.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
secretaries  visited  him  constantly  in  prison  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  impressing  the  officials  with  the  number  of  for¬ 
eign  friends  that  he  had.  They  had  to  face  the  question 
as  to  whether  pressure  should  be  brought  to  bear  on  the 
officials. 

c.  Convicting  a  desperado.  A  man  named  Wang, 
deacon  in  the  church  at  K.  P.,  came  to  his  missionary 
pastor  with  a  story  of  how  his  young  unmarried  daughter 
had  been  betrayed  by  a  desperate  character  in  that  town 
and  had  given  birth  to  a  child.  The  same  desperate 
character  had  forced  other  young  women  of  the  family 
who  were  living  in  that  same  court  to  have  illicit  re¬ 
lations  with  him.  A  few  weeks  after  this  information 
was  given  the  missionary,  a  brother  of  Wang’s  returned 
from  business  in  a  distant  province.  This  man  was  not 
a  Christian.  He  heard  the  story  and  at  once  proposed 
to  Deacon  Wang  that  they  lie  in  wait  for  the  desperado 
and  murder  him.  He  further  affirmed  that  if  his  brother, 
the  deacon,  would  not  help  him  he  would  undertake  this 
alone. 

At  this  point  the  deacon  laid  the  situation  before  the 
missionary.  Knowing  that  if  any  member  of  the  Wang 
family  should  commit  murder  the  whole  clan  would  be 
involved,  the  missionary  counselled  patience,  urged  the 
deacon  to  restrain  his  brother  from  violence,  and  asked 
that  a  full  statement  of  the  case  be  prepared  in  writing, 
with  a  list  of  other  crimes  the  desperado  may  have  com¬ 
mitted,  giving  names,  dates,  full  details  and  a  list  of 

89 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


reliable  Chinese  citizens  who  could  vouch  for  the  facts 
presented. 

When  the  statement  was  prepared  it  was  found  that 
the  desperado  had  murdered  two  or  three  husbands  in 
order  to  obtain  their  wives  and  was  a  counterfeiter  and 
gambler  in  addition  to  being  a  rapist.  After  cautioning 
the  Wang  brothers  of  the  consequences  in  case  their 
statement  should  be  found  to  deviate  from  the  truth, 
the  missionary  called  upon  the  head  magistrate  of  the 
district,  laid  the  statement  before  him,  and  urged  him, 
in  case  the  accusations  were  verified,  to  act  according  to 
Chinese  law.  The  magistrate  took  the  statement,  and  a 
short  time  later  the  desperado  was  arrested  and  impris¬ 
oned. 

d.  Persecution  by  relatives.  A  young  farmer  lad,  Bela 
Singh  by  name,  a  Sikh  by  religion,  attended  one  of  the 
mission  schools  of  the  Punjab.  As  a  result  of  the  teaching 
there  received,  he  became  a  Christian.  Because  of  this 
he  was  ostracised  by  his  family.  His  father  had  an  inter¬ 
est  in  a  fine  piece  of  irrigated  land  worth  considerable 
money.  On  the  death  of  the  father,  the  relatives  com¬ 
bined  to  prove  that  Bela  Singh  was  not  a  legitimate  son 
and  therefore  was  not  entitled  to  share  in  the  land.  The 
judge  before  whom  the  case  was  tried  was  also  a  Sikh 
and  gave  a  decision  against  him.  Bela  Singh  had  been 
teaching  in  a  mission  school  for  a  number  of  years  at 
about  five  dollars  a  month.  He  had  a  family  of  three 
children  and  was  supporting  them  with  difficulty  on  this 
pay.  If  he  were  to  return  to  his  old  religion,  he  would 
at  once  be  given  his  share  of  the  property,  and  all  his 
worldly  needs  would  be  supplied.  There  was  a  very  real 
temptation  here.  Bela  Singh  wanted  to  appeal  his  case. 
There  was  a  better  chance  under  another  judge,  but 
the  expenses  would  be  great  and  he  did  not  have  the 
money. 


90 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


e.  Protection  of  a  generous  preacher.  An  elderly 
preacher  who  had  been  connected  with  the  Christian 
church  for  nearly  twenty  years  had  a  disagreement  with 
his  neighbour  over  the  boundary  of  their  property.  As 
he  had  purchased  this  property  only  after  surrendering 
his  previous  home  to  the  mission  for  a  church  building, 
and  had  thereby  incurred  the  enmity  of  his  new  neigh¬ 
bour  who  had  planned  to  buy  the  land  himself,  the 
preacher  felt  that  he  was  entitled  to  help  from  the  foreign 
missionary  in  the  law-courts  in  defending  his  title  to  the 
strip  of  land  about  a  foot  wide,  over  which  he  and  his 
neighbour  were  quarrelling.  The  missionary  had  only 
recently  been  warned  by  the  consul  in  common  with  all 
other  missionaries  that  he  must  not  exert  his  personal 
influence  or  appear  in  any  way  at  trials  before  a  Chinese 
court.  He  therefore  refused  to  help  the  preacher,  with 
the  result  that  the  lawsuit  dragged  on  and  gradually 
submerged  the  preacher  in  debt.  As  the  preacher  had 
many  children,  grandchildren,  and  other  relatives  in  the 
church  who  were  indignant  at  the  refusal  of  the  mis¬ 
sionary  to  help,  a  very  unhappy  and  strained  situation 
was  created.1 


DISCUSSION 

1.  Some  Protestant  missionaries  have  laid  it  down  as  a  fixed 
rule  that  they  will  teach  their  converts  to  rely  simply  on  the 
protection  of  God,  refusing  them  any  assistance  when  they  are 
wronged  or  persecuted.  Such  an  unalterable  rule  undoubtedly 
simplifies  a  missionary’s  course.  But  how,  in  general,  would 
you  regard  solutions  of  such  extreme  simplicity? 

2.  Analyse  the  reasons  why  a  missionary  would,  or  would  not, 
be  more  bound  by  the  Christian  spirit  to  help  gain  justice  for 
native  Christians  than  for  others  (cf.  Chap.  IV,  sec.  4). 

3.  In  which  of  these  cases  would  you  be  inclined  to  render 
assistance?  Why? 

l  Additional  cases  will  be  found  in  Clough,  John  E.,  “Social  Chris¬ 
tianity  in  the  Orient,”  pp.  168-76. 


91 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


4.  If  money  is  needed  in  order  to  render  assistance,  as  in 
case  d,  is  this  a  legitimate  use  of  mission  funds? 

5.  What  is  your  judgment  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  following 
principle : 

“Most  of  us  have  learned  to  refuse  to  take  up  cases  of  indi¬ 
vidual  wrong,  even  when  these  appeal  most  keenly  to  our  sym¬ 
pathies.  But  when  a  combined  effort  is  made  to  prevent  the 
profession  of  Christianity  in  a  village,  town,  or  district,  when 
there  is  no  question  of  private  dispute,  and  where  it  is  impossi¬ 
ble  to  adjust  matters  by  reasonable  explanations  and  private 
conference,  it  seems  to  be  legitimate  and  right  that  we  should 
claim  through  official  channels  the  recognition  of  the  right  of  the 
people  to  profess  the  Christian  religion  without  interference. 
The  petty  persecution  of  new  Tai  Christians  in  the  Yunnan 
Province  by  imposing  a  fine  for  accepting  Christianity,  is  an 
example  of  a  group  wrong  which  was  corrected  by  missionary 
appeal.” 

On  what  grounds  would  legal  help  be  given  by  a  missionary 
to  a  group,  while  not  to  an  individual? 

7.  HARBOURING  REFUGEES 

During  recent  civil  wars  in  China,  missionary  com¬ 
pounds  have  often  been  sought  as  a  haven  of  refuge 
for  distracted  civilians.  When  the  hostile  armies,  bent 
upon  looting  and  disorders  of  every  kind  have  broken 
into  a  city,  the  people,  especially  the  women  and  children, 
have  been  panic-stricken  and  have  flocked  in  great  crowds 
to  the  missionary  for  protection.  They  believe  that  the 
soldiers  will  respect  the  foreign  flag  and  the  property  of 
foreigners.  As  a  matter  of  fact  those  sheltered  by  the 
missionaries  have  generally  been  unmolested.  At  the  first 
the  missionaries  in  many  places  threw  open  their  gates 
and  admitted  both  people  and  possessions.  Later  they  ad¬ 
mitted  only  the  people,  for  the  missionaries  found  that 
the  people  were  abusing  their  privilege  of  bringing  valua¬ 
bles,  and  there  was  a  danger  that  their  mission  com¬ 
pounds  would  become  too  tempting  for  the  soldiers. 

The  question  of  giving  refuge- to  about  two  hundred 
Christian  women  and  children  from  a  Chinese  city  which 
was  being  attacked  by  revolutionary  soldiers  came  to  cer- 

92 


RELATIONS  WITH  THE  PEOPLE 


tain  missionaries.  Would  it  be  proper  to  take  in  these 
women  and  children,  the  majority  of  whom  were  the 
wealthiest  and  most  influential  in  the  city,  and  thus  open 
up  their  compound  to  a  possible  attack  by  the  rebels  be¬ 
cause  of  the  lure  of  loot  and  also  hostages  ?  After  much 
prayer  and  consultation  the  missionaries  allowed  the  ref¬ 
ugees  to  enter  and  they  stayed  for  three  months.  Fre¬ 
quent  raids  were  made  on  the  buildings  just  outside  the 
compound  walls,  and  several  visitations  made  by  officers 
of  the  rebel  forces,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  loot  or 
worry  the  compound.  As  a  result  of  this  action  on 
the  part  of  the  missionaries,  a  most  conservative,  and 
heretofore  most  difficult,  city  to  reach  now  has  two  or¬ 
ganised  churches  and  a  large  number  of  Christians  within 
its  walls.  The  Christian  Chapel  has  been  made  the  meet¬ 
ing  place  for  the  gentry,  influential  men,  and  boys  of 
the  city. 

In  another  city  refuge  was  given  in  the  mission  com¬ 
pound  both  to  Christians  and  non-Christians.  A  small 
rental  was  charged  to  non-Christians  to  help  pay  for  re¬ 
pairs.  In  still  another  centre  a  very  wealthy  official  sent 
a  messenger  to  a  missionary  with  the  following  proposi¬ 
tion:  “If  you  will  allow  me  to  bury  $100,000  in  your 
compound,  I  will  give  you  ten  per  cent  of  the  amount/’ 

DISCUSSION 

1.  If  you  badly  needed  money  for  mission  work,  would  you 
accept  this  man’s  offer?  Why? 

2.  On  what  principles  would  you  feel  justified  in  giving  refuge 
to  women  and  children? 

3.  What  other  principles,  if  any,  should  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  question  of  receiving  their  valuables?  Soldiers? 

4.  Would  you  receive  non-Christians  as  well  as  Christians? 
Why? 

5.  What  help  in  solving  these  questions  can  be  obtained  from 
a  review  of  the  rights  and  responsibilities  of  neutral  nations 
during  the  war? 


93 


Chapter  IV 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 

1.  SALARIES  FOR  MISSION  ASSISTANTS 

In  many  mission  fields  it  is  a  perennial  problem  to 
secure  enough  native  evangelists  of  the  right  quality  to 
carry  on  the  work  planned  by  missions.  Unquestionably 
one  cause  for  this — though  not  the  only  one — is  the  rela¬ 
tively  low  pay  given  to  those  engaged  in  directly  spiritual 
work  under  a  mission.  To  make  the  problem  definite, 
let  us  consider  a  mission  in  the  Belgian  Congo  which 
employed  several  hundred  evangelists  and  also  several 
scores  of  workmen  in  its  various  stations.  Both  sets 
of  men  were  doing  mission  work — the  one  preaching 
and  teaching;  the  other  erecting  schools,  houses,  and 
churches,  making  furniture,  running  steamers,  and  print¬ 
ing  literature  entirely  for  mission  use. 

The  pay  of  an  evangelist  was  lower  to  begin  with  than 
an  ordinary,  unskilled  workman ;  and  the  rate  of  increase 
also  was  very  modest,  hence  after  a  term  of  five  or  ten 
years  the  evangelist’s  pay  was  very  much  less  than  that 
of  a  boy  who  had  done  manual  labour  at  the  station  for 
an  equal  period  of  time  and  had  learned  masonry,  car¬ 
pentering,  blacksmithing,  or  printing.  The  evangelist, 
however,  in  many  cases  was  located  in  his  native  village, 
where  his  living  expenses  were  lower.  In  practically  all 
cases  the  workman  had  to  pay  more  for  his  food,  since 
he  lived  in  the  large  centres  of  population,  away  from 
his  own  family,  and  wore  out  more  clothes  than  the 
evangelist.  The  evangelist  had  more  leisure  time  than 

94 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


the  workman,  when  he  might  cultivate  a  garden,  or  hunt, 
or  fish,  and  thus  increase  his  income  that  way.  But, 
taking  everything  into  consideration,  his  salary  was  lower 
than  that  earned  by  a  tradesman  of  equal  ability. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  analogy  for  this  condition  is  there  in  the  West? 

2.  Discuss  the  wisdom  of  setting  apart  one  vocation  as  more 
spiritual  than  another;  as  properly  receiving  a  lower  economic 
return. 

3.  What  relative  standards  as  between  the  various  walks  in 
life  should  a  missionary  seek  to  establish  in  inaugurating  work 
in  a  new  field? 

4.  Most  missionaries  are  on  a  basis  of  service  with  a  non¬ 
competitive  subsistence  allowance.  Should  native  mission  workers 
come  on  this  basis?  Should  this  basis  be  extended  to  promoters 
of  missions  in  the  West?  To  clergymen?  To  laymen?  Give 
your  reasons  why  this  principle  should,  or  should  not,  be  limited 
to  the  25,000  people  called  missionaries. 


2.  THE  USE  OF  FUNDS  FROM  NON-CHRISTIAN  SOURCES 

There  are  liberal-minded  non-Christians  in  every  land 
who  can  be  persuaded  to  contribute,  ofttimes  most  gen¬ 
erously,  to  mission  work.  Usually  such  men  have  little 
or  no  sympathy  with  the  evangelistic  aim  of  missionaries. 
They  value,  however,  the  humanitarian  aspect  of  the 
work,  the  general  religious  effect,  or  the  educational, 
medical,  or  economic  results.  Widespread  use  has  been 
made  of  funds  from  such  sources.  We  will  consider  a 
typical  case. 

At  the  World’s  Sunday  School  Convention  at  Tokyo 
in  1920,  in  order  to  provide  the  building  and  other  local 
facilities  for  the  convention,  there  was  formed  a  Patrons’ 
Association,  made  up  of  seventy  of  Tokyo’s  leading  busi¬ 
ness  men.  Among  the  officers  and  members  of  the 
Patrons’  Association  were  those  who  were  professedly 

95 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


Buddhist  or  Confucianist  in  their  religion.  These  men 
shouldered  heavy  financial  responsibilities  during  a  time 
of  financial  depression  and  contributed  $150,000  for  the 
building  and  other  expense.  They  said  that  they  felt 
that  Japan  needed  the  spiritual  impact  of  the  convention. 

A  series  of  editorials  in  an  American  religious  weekly 
strongly  objected  to  the  Tokyo  plan.  The  acceptance  of 
“non-Christian  support  in  a  pagan  land”  was  referred  to 
as  “a  root  mistake.”  In  support  of  this  position  it  was 
asserted  that,  “The  giving  of  true  Christian  testimony  is 
never  dependent  upon,  but  always  hindered  by,  the 
patronage  and  support  of  unbelievers.  ‘Be  not  unequally 
yoked  with  unbelievers/  God  tells  his  children:  ‘for  what 
fellowship  have  righteousness  and  iniquity  ?  or  what  com¬ 
munion  hath  light  with  darkness  ?’  ”  The  convention 
practice  was  taken  as  evidence  of  “unscriptural  fellow¬ 
ship  with,  and  dependence  upon,  the  non-Christian  fac¬ 
tors  of  our  civilisation,”  an  expression  of  the  “compro¬ 
mise  and  concession  and  fellowship  with  unbelievers 
that  we  in  the  Christian  church  in  the  home  lands  have 
been  responsible  for  these  many  years  past,”  and  a  proof 
that  “the  professing  Church  of  Christ  is  tangled  up  with 
the  unbelieving  world  in  many  ways.” 

The  writer  further  asks,  “If  Paul  had  been  led  to 
hold  a  Christian  convention  in  the  city  of  Ephesus,  after 
the  Church  at  Ephesus  was  well  established,  the  conven¬ 
tion  to  be  attended  by  Christians  from  the  entire  civilised 
world  of  that  day,  can  we  think  of  Paul  either  seeking 
or  permitting  the  moral  and  financial  patronage  and  co¬ 
operation  of  leading  worshippers  of  Diana  of  the  Ephe¬ 
sians,  such  as  Demetrius,  the  silversmith,  or  the  town 
clerk  who  had  quelled  the  riot  there,  or  other  leading 
non-Christians  who  could  give  “prestige”  and  publicity 
to  the  Christian  convention  if  they  would?  Or  would 
Paul  have  felt  that  the  fellowship  and  co-operation  of 
any  who  were  not  openly  confessed  believers  in  Christ 

96 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


as  the  only  Son  of  God  and  the  only  Saviour  of  men 
would  have  been  a  tragic  barrier  to  the  giving  of  the 
Gospel  ?” 


DISCUSSION 

1.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Zerubbabel  absolutely  refused 
to  let  certain  non-Jews  assist  in  rebuilding  the  temple  (Ezra 
4:  1-6).  Study  this  incident  carefully  to  see  whether  it  is  really 
a  parallel  case.  If  it  is,  how  far  should  Zerubbabel’s  decision  be 
authoritative  ? 

2.  It  has  been  pointed  out  that  many  Christian  gatherings  in 
America  do  not  hesitate  to  enlist  the  financial  and  social  support 
of  the  mayor  of  the  city  where  they  meet  and  of  the  local 
chamber  of  commerce.  Aid  is  not  rejected  because  there  may  be 
in  that  body  a  preponderance  of  Jews  or  non-believers.  Does  the 
analogy  support  the  Tokyo  practice,  or  is  it  also  an  evidence  of 
low  standards  in  America? 

3.  In  the  Old  Testament  one  finds  various  conceptions  of 
holiness.1  The  roots  of  the  idea  are  found  in  taboo.  There  is 
the  conception  of  holiness  or  uncleanness  as  a  quality  trans- 
missable  by  contact.  A  more  ethical  insight  makes  a  distinction 
between  things  which  must  not  be  touched  because  they  are 
associated  with  Jehovah,  and  things  that  may  not  be  touched 
because  they  are  hateful  to  Him.  From  this  came  the  idea  of 
holiness  as  goodness,  awful  and  exclusive.  In  the  highest  de¬ 
velopment  of  the  idea  with  regard  to  people,  holiness  is  used  to 
denote  a  religious  community  as  a  whole  which  has  sanctified 
itself  by  conforming  to  the  requirements  that  express  Jehovah’s 
will  and  nature.  What  further  principle  or  example  from  the 
life  and  teaching  of  Jesus  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  this 
conception?  Holiness  and  love  are  two  words  which  better  than 
any  others  express  the  higher  aims  of  human  life  and  man’s 
most  comprehensive  obligation.  Try  to  make  explicit  what  holi¬ 
ness  should  mean  for  a  modern  man  or  organisation  or  com¬ 
munity.  Apply  this  conception  to  the  problem  in  hand. 

4.  Mention  various  conditions  in  which  it  would  be  wrong  for 
a  Christian  enterprise  or  mission  to  take  money  from  non-Chris¬ 
tian  sources;  conditions  in  which  it  would  be  right. 

l  See  article  “holiness”  in  any  good  dictionary  of  the  Bible. 


97 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


3.  MISSIONARY  ASSISTANCE  TO  A  NATIVE  CHRISTIAN 

ENTERPRISE 

A  group  of  native  Christians  in  China  decided  to  open 
a  co-operative  store  and  sold  shares  to  Christians  only. 
The  object  was  to  have  a  safe  form  of  investment  for 
Christians,  to  enable  Christians  to  make  their  purchases 
from  a  store  which  did  not  handle  goods  concerned  with 
non-Christian  rites  and  to  demonstrate  that  Christians 
could  be  successful  business  men  and  yet  close  their  shop 
on  Sundays  and  be  Christians  in  other  ways.  The  for¬ 
eign  missionaries  took  no  stock,  but  one  missionary  acted 
as  purchasing  agent.  This  secured  certain  advantages 
for  the  co-operators — a  missionary  discount  from  certain 
firms;  an  extension  of  credit  because  they  had  been  in¬ 
troduced  by  a  missionary,  the  repacking  of  their  goods 
at  the  port  city  by  a  man  in  the  employ  of  the  mission, 
and  a  considerable  immunity  from  petty  thieving,  since 
the  goods  were  shipped  into  the  interior  in  the  name  of 
the  foreigner.  The  Christian  store,  therefore,  could  to  a 
certain  extent  under-sell  other  stores.  The  missionary 
who  undertook  to  assist  the  new  enterprise  was  acting 
as  an  individual  and  did  not  realise  at  first  all  that  was 
involved.  The  mission,  as  such,  had  never  had  occasion 
to  deal  with  a  situation  like  this,  but  found  it  necessary 
to  define  the  policy  for  its  missionaries  for  the  future. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  assistance  could  justly  be  given  to  this  co-operative 
store  by  missionaries?  What  advantages,  if  any,  were  unjust? 
Formulate  the  principles  upon  which  you  base  your  answers. 

2.  Is  the  continuous  assistance  to  a  Christian  enterprise,  such 
as  this,  a  legitimate  use  of  a  missionary’s  time? 

3.  Well  recognised  forms  of  mission  service  include  efforts  to 
raise  the  economic  level  through  introduction  of  agricultural 
machinery,  instruction  regarding  rotation  of  crops,  fodder  rais¬ 
ing  and  storing,  new  staples  for  growing,  and  the  running  of 

98 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


industrial  schools.  What  difference,  if  any,  is  there  between 
these  activities  and  the  missionary  assistance  mentioned  in  this 
problem  ? 

4.  What  would  you  say  to  a  person  who  held  that  Chinese 
Christians  should  not  secure  immunity  from  petty  thieving  in 
a  way  not  open  to  others ;  that  they  should  bear  this  burden 
until  standards  could  be  raised  so  as  to  protect  others  as  well 
as  themselves ;  and  that  immunity  might  make  them  less  active 
for  reform? 


4.  THE  LIMITATION  OF  ECONOMIC  HELP  TO  CHRISTIANS 

a.  Impartiality  in  service.  The  Commission  on  Vil¬ 
lage  Education  in  India,  after  outlining  various  ways  in 
which  a  mission  school  could  be  used  as  a  community 
centre,  said:  “Such  efforts  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be 
for  non-Christians  as  well  as  Christians,  not  only  because 
this  is  a  right  procedure,  but  in  order  to  give  no  encour¬ 
agement  to  the  idea  that  material  benefits  will  be  given 
to  people  merely  because  they  are  Christians.1  After 
strongly  advising  the  encouragement  of  co-operative 
credit  societies  as  a  means/of  building  up  the  Christian 
community,  the  report  went  on  to  add:  “Yet,  even  such 
societies  should  be  open  to  non-Christians  as  well  as 
Christians.”  2  After  urging  that  the  exploited  Christians 
of  outcaste  origin  should  be  befriended,  describing  cer¬ 
tain  experiments  already  made  in  settling  needy  converts 
on  land,  and  outlining  the  opportunities  for  developing 
a  wholesome  Christian  atmosphere  in  properly  managed 
farm  colonies,  the  Commission  gave  this  word  of  cau¬ 
tion  :  “While  it  is  usually  found  necessary  to  restrict 
actual  colonisation  to  Christians,  help  in  the  acquisition 
of  land  should  be  freely  given  to  others  as  opportunity 
occurs.  For  one  danger  must  be  guarded  against  in  this 
as  in  every  other  type  of  welfare  work — the  impression 

1  “Village  Education  in  India,”  p.  82. 

2  Ibid.,  p.  143. 


99 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


that  land  is  given  as  a  reward  for  becoming  Christians/’ 1 
Again,  after  showing  that  Christians  encounter  peculiar 
difficulties  in  getting  started  as  skilled  industrial  workers, 
and  advising  a  modified  apprentice  type  of  school  or  com¬ 
pany,  it  saw  fit  to  say :  “While  such  companies  would 
seek  to  be  of  service  to  the  Christian  community  by  find¬ 
ing  openings  for  those  who  have  been  dispossessed  be¬ 
cause  of  their  Christian  profession,  we  believe  that  em¬ 
ployment  under  such  companies  should  be  open  to  Chris¬ 
tian  and  non-Christian,  and  that  there  should  be  abso¬ 
lutely  no  coddling  of  Christians  as  such.”  2 

b.  Reserving  tips  for  Christians.  On  the  other  hand 
a  missionary  was  heard  to  say,  “I  am  constantly  on  the 
lookout  for  possible  improvements  and  agricultural  sug¬ 
gestions.  But,  of  course,  I  keep  these  tips  for  my  Chris¬ 
tians.” 


c.  A  Christian  incubator.  The  same  attitude  is  some¬ 
what  reflected  in  an  incident  described  by  a  missionary 
in  India.  He  had  gone  to  the  home  of  one  of  his  local 
preachers,  a  man  whose  salary  was  only  five  dollars  a 
month.  After  a  time  the  worker  said,  “Come  around 
behind  my  house.  I  want  to  show  you  something.”  He 
opened  a  little  door,  the  only  opening  into  a  little,  mud- 
walled  hut.  He  asked,  “Can  you  see  anything?”  The 
missionary  peered  through  the  dim  light  and  said,  “I  can 
see  a  pile  of  mud  in  the  corner.”  The  worker  replied, 
“That  is  what  I  want  you  to  see,”  and  bending  down,  he 
pulled  out  a  little  drawer  and  out  jumped  a  brood  of  real 
chickens.  He  stooped  and  pulled  out  a  lower  drawer, 
and  out  jumped  another  brood  of  chickens.  Then  the 
missionary  saw  that  he  had  taken  an  empty  five  gallon 
Standard  Oil  can,  and  had  cut  it  so  as  to  put  in  two 

1  “Village  Education  in  India,”  p.  146. 

2  Ibid.,  p.  152. 


100 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


drawers.  He  had  packed  it  with  mud  so  as  to  retain 
the  heat,  had  put  a  thermometer  on  the  top,  had  made 
a  little  piece  of  tin  to  project  under  each  drawer,  and 
under  that  had  placed  a  simple  village  light.  The  tin 
had  carried  just  sufficient  heat  under  each  drawer  to 
hatch  the  eggs.  In  short,  out  there  in  the  villages,  where 
non-Christians  had  not  made  an  invention  since  the  days 
of  Abraham,  this  man  had  invented  a  first-class  incu¬ 
bator.  The  missionary  became  so  enthusiastic  over  it  that 
he  said,  “If  you  will  let  me,  I  will  pay  the  expenses  and 
have  your  incubator  patented.”  “Oh,  no,  you  won’t,”  the 
worker  replied.  “I  have  lain  awake  nights  thinking  this 
out  to  help  my  poor  Christians  to  make  a  living.  If  it 
is  patented,  the  Hindus  and  Muhammadans  will  get  it.” 
It  was  not  patented. 


DISCUSSION  1 


1.  In  attempting  to  formulate  some  principle  which  would  help 
a  missionary  to  determine  the  extent  to  which  aid  in  economic 
uplift  should  be  confined  to  Christians,  what  help,  if  any,  can  be 
given  from  Western  analogies?2 

2.  Arrange  the  following  declarations  of  mission  policy  as  far 
as  possible  in  an  ascending  order  of  excellence : 

(a)  A  missionary  can’t  work  for  everybody.  There  are  enough 
Christians  to  occupy  his  full  time  and  energies,  and  so  he  should 
concentrate  on  them. 

(b)  If  non-Christians  see  that  certain  economic  and  social 
advantages  are  given  to  those  who  are  baptised,  it  will  lead  many 
to  become  Christians.  Welfare  work  by  missionaries  should  be 
limited  to  Christians,  so  as  to  increase  this  tendency. 


1  See  also  question  2,  p.  91,  and  question  4,  p.  93. 

2  For  example,  some  Y.  W.  C.  A.  summer  camps  are  open  to  members 
first,  or  to  non-members  at  a  higher  rate.  In  other  associations  member¬ 
ship  signifies  the  adoption  of  a  certain  purpose,  but  adoption  of  the  purpose 
is  not  necessary  for  admission  to  gymnasium  and  other  classes.  There 
the  same  fee  is  required  of  members  and  non-members. 

In  a  New  York  parish  house,  where  a  Jewish  street  gang  had  been 
drawn  into  the  gymnasium,  the  boys  of  the  gang  were  informed  that  they 
would  have  to  get  fifteen  out  to  Sunday  School  if  they  wanted  to  con¬ 
tinue  their  gymnasium  class.  The  leader  of  the  gang  spoke  thus  to  his 
group,  “The  Church  is  doing  a  lot  for  us,  and  we  ought  to  do  something 
for  them.  Let’s  go  to  Sunday  School.” 

101 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


(c)  The  missionary’s  ultimate  object  should  be  to  help  the 
whole  community.  But,  since  his  best  service  is  the  development 
of  leadership,  and  since  Christians  by  their  very  contact  with 
Christ  are  more  open  to  growth  and  progress  than  non-Christians, 
he  should  concentrate  his  attention  on  developing  Christian 
leadership  as  the  best  immediate  step  toward  the  inclusive  goal. 

(d)  A  missionary  should  meet  human  need  as  he  finds  it, 
irrespective  of  whether  the  person  is  Hindu,  Muhammadan,  Bud¬ 
dhist,  or  Christian. 

(e)  A  missionary  should  concentrate  his  welfare  work  on  the 
Christian  community  in  the  hope  that,  as  a  result  of  his  assist¬ 
ance,  its  higher  percentage  of  literacy,  its  lower  death  rate,  and 
its  rising  economic  level  will  eventuate  in  a  growing  prestige  for 
this  community,  which  will  attract  and  impress  others,  and  thus 
lead  to  the  glory  of  the  Church. 

3.  How  would  you  have  advised  the  worker  with  reference  to 
his  incubator? 

4.  Suppose  that,  through  superior  education  and  attention  from 
experienced  Western  helpers,  the  Christian  community  does  come 
to  stand  out  in  economic,  educational,  and  social  ways,  as  sug¬ 
gested  in  2-e.  How  far  would  it  be  legitimate  to  encourage 
non-Christians  to  infer  the  superiority  of  Christianity  from  this? 

5.  The  Christian  society  which  is  developed  abroad  may  think 
of  itself  as  composed  of  the  favoured  few,  or  as  the  servant  of  all. 
Sketch  the  possible  procedures  that  would  encourage  each  of 
these  attitudes. 


5.  MEANS  OF  SECURING  MISSION  PROPERTY 

a.  Purchase  through  a  Chinese.  A  certain  mission 
compound  in  China  has  a  circuitous  and  inconvenient 
exit.  A  long  narrow  section  of  land  separates  it  from 
a  near-by  road.  Every  effort  to  purchase  a  right  of  way 
through  the  strip  failed  because  there  was  increasing  re¬ 
sentment  among  the  Chinese  in  this  city  against  foreign 
intrusion,  and  the  Chinese  would  not  sell  more  land  to 
the  mission.  Under  these  circumstances  the  missionaries 
had  a  Chinese  Christian  purchase  the  desired  land  in  his 
own  name,  and  then  later  transfer  to  them. 

102 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


b.  Forcible  purchase.  A  large  tract  of  land  was  re¬ 
cently  desired  by  a  Christian  University  in  China  for 
agricultural  purposes.  Much  of  it  was  grave  land.  For 
this  and  other  reasons  the  villagers  refused  to  sell.  Since 
this  land  seemed  necessary  if  the  good  work  of  the  uni¬ 
versity  was  to  expand,  the  Chinese  Vice  President  of  the 
University  appealed  to  the  Government.  The  Govern¬ 
ment  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  effect  that  the  villagers 
must  sell  the  land  by  a  fixed  date.  The  villagers  still 
refused,  so  soldiers  were  sent  and  this  land  was  forcibly 
acquired.  The  result  of  over-riding  their  conception  of 
the  sacredness  of  graves  and  their  beliefs  regarding  an¬ 
cestral  spirits  was  that  the  sympathy  of  the  agricultural 
people  was  alienated.  The  forcible  sale  was  condemned 
by  some  newspapers  as  un-Christian. 

c.  Building  under  protest.  One  of  the  cities  in  Shan¬ 
tung  had  long  been  exceedingly  hostile  to  Christianity, 
resisting  all  attempts  of  itinerating  missionaries  to  enter. 
Finally,  in  1883,  although  the  missionaries  could  secure 
no  property  within  the  city,  they  were  able  to  buy  a  piece 
of  land  a  mile  away  upon  which  building  operations  were 
started.  Placards  were  put  up  by  the  Chinese  calling  on 
the  people  to  gather  on  a  fixed  date  and  kill  the  foreign¬ 
ers.  No  Chinese  could  be  persuaded  to  guard  the  build¬ 
ing  materials  at  night,  and  so  a  young  missionary  of  only 
fifteen  months’  experience  (Calvin  W.  Mateer)  bravely 
undertook  not  only  to  oversee  the  building  operations 
during  the  day,  but  to  sleep  on  the  materials  at  night 
with  a  revolver  by  his  side.  This  station  became  the  seat 
of  an  exceptionally  successful  extension  work.  On  the 
other  hand  a  case  is  known  where  a  church,  which  was 
built  against  the  decided  protest  of  the  non-Christian 
community,  was  boycotted  for  twenty  years  (i.e.,  until 
the  generation  that  knew  most  about  it  passed  away). 

103 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


d.  Equivocation.  Official  restrictions  on  missionary 
work  in  Turkey  sometimes  raised  ethical  issues  for  mis¬ 
sionaries  working  there.  For  example,  a  missionary 
wanted  to  build  a  hospital.  The  local  officials  refused 
to  issue  a  building  permit.  However,  one  of  them  sug¬ 
gested  that  he  could  give  a  permit  for  a  stable,  then  for 
a  wash  house  beside  the  stable,  then  for  an  addition  to 
the  wash  house,  and  so  on,  until  the  necessary  buildings 
had  been  completed.  Later  on,  exemption  from  taxation 
was  demanded  on  the  ground  that  the  institution  was  a 
hospital. 

e.  Half  truths.  Another  missionary  in  Turkey  wished 
to  build  a  school,  but  could  get  no  permit.  She  was  able 
to  get  a  permit  for  a  hotel,  which  could  be  made  large 
enough  to  accommodate  many  guests.  In  this  way  she 
secured  the  building,  but  did  not  escape  the  taxes. 

/.  Official  pressure.  Robert  College,  located  on  the 
choicest  site  on  the  Bosphorus,  is  one  of  the  outstanding 
Christian  institutions  of  the  Near  East.  To  secure  per¬ 
mission  to  erect  the  college  buildings  on  the  magnificent 
site  selected,  required  years  of  beleaguering  the  Turkish 
government  and,  in  the  end,  would  have  been  unsuc¬ 
cessful  without  the  aid  of  a  strategy  on  the  part  of 
Admiral  Farragut.  At  a  time  when  the  Turks  had  re¬ 
peatedly  postponed  issuing  permission  for  the  building 
of  the  College,  and  when  the  Sultan  had  inquired  of  his 
advisers  in  despair,  “Will  this  Mr.  Hamlin  never  die  and 
let  me  alone  on  this  College  question?”  Admiral  Far¬ 
ragut  appeared  with  an  American  battleship  in  the  har¬ 
bour  of  Constantinople.  The  visit  was  friendly,  but  the 
Turks  sought  a  hidden  motive,  and  they  were  quick  to 
find  it  when  the  Admiral,  who  had  been  coached  by  Dr. 
Hamlin  and  a  friend  of  the  College,  blandly  inquired  of 
the  Grand  Vizier,  “Why  cannot  the  American  college  be 

104 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


built?”  This  question  he  repeated  to  various  Turkish 
officials,  who  read  into  it  such  sinister  meaning  that 
shortly  after  his  departure,  an  imperial  order  was  hastily 
issued  providing  for  erection  of  the  buildings  on  the 
conspicuous  and  commanding  site  selected.  Thus  began 
in  the  city  which  for  fifteen  centuries  had  been  the  centre 
of  the  life  and  power  of  this  part  of  the  world  a 
Christian  educational  enterprise  of  paramount  impor¬ 
tance. 


DISCUSSION 

1.  Are  all  these  instances  on  the  same  level  of  advisability?  If 
not,  which  would  you  select  as  least  culpable?  As  most  culpable? 

2.  How  would  your  judgment  in  case  a  be  affected  by  each  of 
the  following  possibilities :  That  the  Chinese  Christian  represented 
that  he  wanted  the  property  for  his  own  use  in  business ;  that 
he  simply  refrained  from  telling  why  he  wanted  it,  and  left  the 
owners  to  judge  for  themselves;  that  the  owners  were  holding 
the  property  for  a  high  price;  or  that  their  hesitation  in  selling 
was  due  to  prejudice  and  antipathy? 

3.  How  would  your  judgment  in  case  d  be  affected  if  you  knew 
that  the  local  people  all  wanted  the  hospital  and  that  only  the 
higher  officials  were  opposed? 

4.  Land  and  property  may  be  desired  in  order  to  make  an 
initial  start  in  a  hostile  community;  or  they  may  be  needed  to 
expand  work  already  well  established.  In  what  way,  if  at  all, 
would  the  principles  of  decision  differ  in  these  two  cases? 

5.  Balance  the  relative  importance  of  attaining  a  goal  and  of 
the  way  the  goal  is  attained,  in  mission  work?  In  affairs  at 
home? 


6.  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SELF-SUPPORT 

One  very  important  component  in  the  ideal  for  the 
rising  churches  on  the  mission  field  is  that  they  should 
be  self-supporting.  In  most  fields  this  has  been  an  ex¬ 
ceedingly  difficult  condition  to  establish,  partly  due  to 
the  very  low  economic  condition  of  the  people,  and  partly 
to  the  weakening  effect  of  excessive  initial  help  from 

105 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


foreign  sources.  It  is  interesting  to  note  how  the  original 
impulse  towards  self-support  was  given  in  various  fields. 

a.  The  start  in  Korea.  Korea  is  famed  for  progress 
in  this  regard.  It  is  said  that  self-support  in  this  land 
began  when  Dr.  Underwood,  in  response  to  a  deputation 
who  wanted  him  to  send  to  the  rich  missionary  society 
across  the  seas  for  money  for  a  church,  went  with  them 
to  the  chosen  site.  “You  want  a  church  here,  do  you?” 
He  took  off  his  coat,  went  off  and  brought  back  a  large 
stone,  and  then  another,  and  another.  Soon  the  seven 
church  members  had  their  coats  off,  and  a  self-support¬ 
ing  church  was  begun  right  there. 

b.  In  Turkey.  Dr.  C.  H.  Wheeler’s  great  work  for 
self-support 1  began  from  what  seemed  like  a  trifling 
incident.  The  Armenians  had  asked  for  a  stove,  which 
Dr.  Wheeler  secured  for  them.  In  getting  it  to  the 
church  it  was  broken.  They  sent  to  Dr.  Wheeler  a  bill, 
not  only  for  repairs,  but  for  putting  it  up.  That  cured 
him  from  any  pauperising  programme. 

c.  The  cost  of  self-support  in  Burma.  The  three-fold 
ideal  of  self-government,  self-support,  and  self-propa¬ 
gation,  has  more  nearly  been  reached  among  the  Karen 
churches  in  Burma  than  elsewhere.  That  it  did  not 
come  of  itself,  but  cost  effort  is  shown  in  the  statement 
of  one  of  the  early  missionary  leaders,  E.  L.  Abbott.2 
“I  have  endeavoured  to  substitute  the  churches  for  the 
mission  treasury;  and  it  has  cost  me  more  anguish  of 
spirit,  and  more  hours  of  controversy  and  pleading,  than 
all  the  other  troubles  arising  from  our  forty  pastors  and 
five  thousand  converts,  put  together.  ...  I  suspect  that 
I  have  not  much  sympathy  in  this  business ;  but, 

1  See  Wheeler,  C.  H.,  “Ten  Years  on  the  Euphrates.” 

2  Carpenter,  C.  H.,  “Self-Support  in  Bassein,”  p.  143. 

106 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


when  my  brethren  shall  attempt  to  bind  their  assistants 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  to  poverty  and  self-denial,  by  the 
truth,  by  cords  of  love  and  not  of  gold,  they  will  then 
learn  that  I  am  deserving  of  it.  .  . 

d.  Meeting  a  shamefaced  pastor.  A  home  mission¬ 
ary  society  in  Japan  was  about  to  hold  its  annual  meet¬ 
ing,  and  the  various  churches  concerned  were  vying  with 
one  another  as  to  which  should  have  the  best  report. 
The  pastor  of  one  church  came  to  the  missionary  of  his 
district  utterly  discouraged,  saying  that  since  summer 
his  church  had  collected  only  about  twenty-eight  cents. 
He  wanted  a  contribution  from  the  missionary  to  save 
them  from  disgrace,  for  it  was  within  three  days  of  the 
meeting,  and  though  he  had  urged  his  people  again  and 
again  to  remember  the  cause,  they  had  paid  little  or  no 
heed  to  his  words.  The  missionary  assured  the  pastor 
that  he  desired  to  help  him  in  every  way  possible,  but  to 
give  money  so  that  his  church  might  have  a  good  repu¬ 
tation  was  simply  acting  falsehood.  “Well,  then,”  the 
pastor  said,  “I  can’t  go  to  the  annual  meeting;  I  should 
have  no  face,  only  shame.”  “That’s  just  the  speech  to 
make  to  your  people,”  the  missionary  answered;  “when 
they  see  you  have  shame  they  too  will  feel  it.”  On  the 
day  of  the  meeting  the  missionary  happened  to  meet  the 
pastor  and  asked  what  success  he  had  had.  “Four  dol¬ 
lars,”  he  said  with  a  glad  face,  and  no  shame.  With 
congratulations  the  missionary  handed  him  three  more, 
as  he  felt  the  matter  of  reputation  was  no  more  at  stake. 

e.  Growth  through  responsibility.  Dr.  De  Forest,  of 
Japan,  tells  1  of  the  awakening  of  a  spirit  of  co-operation 
in  the  northern  out-station  of  Migusawa  where  a  group 
of  some  twenty-five  Christians  had  been  baptised : 

1  De  Forest,  Charlotte,  “The  Evolution  of  a  Missionary,”  pp.  193-4. 

107 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


“According  to  methods  then  in  use,  I  sent  them  an 
evangelist,  and  his  pay  came  from  the  American  Board. 
For  fifteen  years,  during  the  anti-Christian  and  so-called 
anti-foreign  period,  this  work  did  not  grow.  It  was 
wholly  under  my  direction;  whenever  an  evangelist  left, 
I  sent  them  another.  When  they  asked  me  to  send  the 
last  evangelist,  I  replied,  ‘We  have  given  you  evangelists 
for  over  fifteen  years;  it  is  time  now  for  you  to  assume 
responsibility  and  call  your  own  evangelist.’ 

“  ‘We  will  of  course  do  it  as  soon  as  we  are  able,  but 
we  cannot  possibly  raise  any  money  as  we  are.’ 

“  ‘Well,  then,  if  after  we  have  spent  hundreds  of  dollars 
in  helping  you  for  fifteen  years  you  are  unable  to  do  any¬ 
thing,  I  suggest  you  go  without  an  evangelist.  You  can 
get  an  occasional  preaching  from  some  passing  missionary 
or  pastor,  and  so  keep  alive  until  better  times.’ 

“  ‘No,  we  can’t  do  that;  we  must  have  the  man  we  have 
our  eyes  on.  Please  send  him  to  us.’ 

“I  urged  them  to  pray  over  it,  and  see  how  much  they 
could  raise  for  the  evangelist;  and  at  last  they  pledged 
one  dollar  a  month  out  of  the  ten  that  were  needed. 
Knowing  they  would  be  far  more  enthusiastic  if  it  were 
their  own  work,  I  told  them  I  should  never  again  send 
them  an  evangelist,  but  would  aid  them  as  a  body  of 
Christians  to  employ  any  one  they  wanted,  and  the  full 
responsibility  for  evangelising  that  region  should  be  theirs, 
not  mine;  and  that  I  would  never  visit  them  unless  they 
sent  me  an  invitation.  It  worked  like  a  charm.  They 
called  the  man  they  specially  wanted,  and  to  their  own 
surprise  as  well  as  mine,  raised  two  dollars  and  a  half 
towards  moving  expenses.  It  was  not  long  before  they 
were  raising  three  times  as  much  as  they  promised;  and 
in  time  I  was  invited  to  the  dedication  of  the  new  church 
they  had  built,  that  cost  three  hundred  dollars  and  to 
which  a  generous  friend  had  enabled  me  to  contribute 
fifty.” 

/.  The  wisdom  of  large  initial  gifts.  The  Y.W.C.A. 
in  a  certain  city  in  China  was  making  its  first  drive  for 

108 


PROBLEMS  IN  ECONOMICS 


funds.  The  foreign  secretaries  were  very  eager  for  this 
first  drive  to  be  a  success.  They  knew  that  the  obstacles 
were  great.  In  the  old  times  none  of  their  members 
would  have  been  allowed  out  of  their  homes.  Even  yet 
many  husbands  and  fathers  object  to  their  womenfolk 
asking  men  for  money.  The  whole  conception  of  the 
drive  was  new  to  the  women.  The  foreign  secretaries  in 
this  Association  had  to  make  the  decision  whether  in 
order  to  do  as  much  as  possible  to  make  this  initial  cam¬ 
paign  a  success  and  to  encourage  the  women,  they  would 
give  more  than  one  could  wisely  keep  on  giving  year  after 
year,  or  whether  they  would  begin  by  making  a  modest 
contribution,  risking  failure,  and  thus  endeavour  to  help 
them  to  rise  to  their  responsibility  from  the  first. 

g.  A  dilemma  in  economy.  A  native  congregation  can 
afford  to  put  up  only  a  cheap,  non-durable  building  for  a 
church.  A  structure  of  better,  more  expensive  material 
would  unquestionably  be  more  economical  in  the  long 
run.  The  question  arises  whether  the  missionary  should 
help  them  to  finance  the  better  building,  or  let  them  sink 
what  they  do  have  in  a  less  advantageous  structure. 

h.  Where  to  stop.  In  a  city  of  North  Japan  there  is 
a  fine  brick  church,  well-located.  The  building  was 
erected  with  money  raised  very  largely  in  America.  The 
congregation  using  it  is  self-supporting,  but  it  was  either 
unable  or  unwilling  to  pay  for  fire  insurance  to  the  full 
extent  of  the  building’s  value.  If  fire  should  destroy  the 
church,  the  congregation  could  not  make  up  the  loss  over 
and  above  the  insurance.  In  that  case  it  would  fall  back 
upon  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Under  the  circum¬ 
stances  the  Board  decided  to  pay  the  additional  insurance. 

i.  Calling  the  tune.  A  certain  missionary  attends  a 
self-supporting  church  in  Korea  which  pays  all  its  ex- 

109 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


penses  from  money  raised  from  the  local  constituency. 
He  was  eager  that  a  Bible  woman  be  appointed  for  work 
in  a  certain  centre,  but  the  church  session  did  not  see  its 
way  to  take  this  work  on  their  budget.  The  missionary 
was  able  to  make  a  relatively  large  contribution  to  the 
church. 


DISCUSSION 

1.  From  these  incidents,  especially  a  to  e,  what  would  you 
judge  some  of  the  means  of  developing  self-support  on  the  mis¬ 
sion  fields  to  be? 

2.  How  would  you  be  inclined  to  act  in  cases  /  to  h? 

3.  Should  the  missionary,  in  case  i,  make  his  gift  conditional 
upon  its  being  used  for  supporting  the  work  in  which  he  is 
interested?  Or  shall  he  give  his  money  unconditionally,  and 
simply  use  moral  influence  in  urging  the  importance  of  the 
opportunity  for  a  Bible  woman?  Could  you  generalise  for 
others  the  decision  you  have  made  for  him?  In  America?  In 
India?  Under  what  restrictions,  if  any,  may  he  who  pays  the 
piper  call  the  tune? 


110 


Chapter  V 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 

The  Christian  family  is  an  attainment.  It  did  not 
come  full-fledged.  A  consideration  of  the  problems  aris¬ 
ing  in  the  effort  to  establish  Christian  standards  for 
family  life  abroad  will  at  once  show  the  great  need  a 
missionary  must  have  for  certain  general  principles  and 
for  a  broad  historical  background  showing  the  long  and 
varied  steps  by  which  we  have  arrived  where  we  are.1 
Such  a  background  and  body  of  principles  would  intro¬ 
duce  into  the  decision  of  these  perplexing  questions 
something  more  than  personal  temperament  or  the  mo¬ 
mentum  of  national  precedents  brought  from  another 
land.  They  would  show  how  arbitrary  standards  are 
particularly  liable  to  be  set  up  when  cultures  cross. 
They  ought  to  guard  one  against  undue  severity  on  the 
one  hand  or  undue  leniency  on  the  other.  It  is  easy  for 
us  of  the  West  to  be  exceedingly  minute  in  our  disci¬ 
pline  and  in  the  multiplicity  of  this  negative  detail  to 
lose  the  great  positive  goal. 

Since  the  family  is  one  of  society’s  most  vital  and 
fundamental  institutions,  problems  connected  with  mar¬ 
riage  require  serious  consideration.  Decisions  which  af¬ 
fect  the  sanctity  of  marriage  lie  at  the  root  of  social 
morality.  We  will  consider  several  groups  of  problems. 

1  Such  a  background  can  be  obtained  from  such  books  as  “Folkways,” 
W.  G.  Sumner,  chapters  I,  IX-XI;  “History  of  Matrimonial  Institutions,” 
G.  E.  Howard  (3  vols.) ;  “A  Social  History  of  the  American  Family,”  A. 
W.  Calhoun  (3  vols.). 


Ill 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


1.  WESTERN  WEDDING  WAYS  UNACCEPTABLE 

a.  Responding  “yes.”  There  are  many  of  our  mar¬ 
riage  customs  which  go  against  native  conceptions  of 
what  is  fitting.  In  parts  of  India  etiquette  demands  that 
the  bride  shall  be  very  shy.  She  may  wish  to  be  mar¬ 
ried,  but  it  is  part  of  the  game  to  appear  reluctant.  In 
the  marriage  ceremony  even  to  say  “yes”  may  seem  to 
go  beyond  her  sense  of  propriety.  Missionaries  have 
had  to  coax  such  a  girl  for  a  half  hour,  trying  all  sorts 
of  ways  to  get  her  to  say  the  necessary  words,  even  sug¬ 
gesting  that  she  whisper  them.  We  are  used  to  the  bride 
and  groom  standing  up  together  before  all.  Their  custom 
may  be  that  the  groom  shall  be  in  the  men’s  quarters 
and  the  bride  in  the  women’s.  The  best  that  can  be  done 
under  those  circumstances  is  to  get  a  “yes”  from  the 
female  crowd  inside. 

b.  Shaking  hands.  In  some  of  our  marriage  forms  the 
bride  and  groom  must  take  each  other’s  hand.  There  are 
parts  of  India  where  this  is  considered  so  improper  that 
one  Christian  mother  rebelled.  She,  supposing  this  act 
an  essential  part  of  the  ceremony,  preferred  to  have  her 
daughter  married  by  non-Christian  rites. 

c.  Use  of  a  go-between.  In  many  oriental  countries 
marriages  are  arranged  by  a  “go-between”  and  the  parties 
concerned  do  not  see  each  other  until  the  marriage  day. 
One  missionary  refused  to  act  as  the  go-between  for  a 
certain  couple  and  insisted  on  their  talking  things  over 
together  in  a  room  by  themselves,  which  was  a  shock  to 
their  sense  of  propriety. 

d.  Reading  bans.  Some  denominations  require  that 
bans  shall  be  read  for  three  successive  Sundays  before 
the  marriage  can  be  performed.  In  the  mass  movement 

112 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


areas  of  India  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  these  simple 
people  to  know  or  to  understand  our  customs.  Willing 
to  conform  to  a  Christian  ceremony,  at  considerable 
trouble  they  leave  their  village  with  their  wedding  guests 
and  come  to  the  missionary’s  station  to  be  married,  only 
to  be  told  that  they  must  go  back  and  wait  three  weeks 
until  the  bans  are  read.  But  the  day  has  been  set,  the 
feast  is  ready,  the  marriage  company  is  there  according 
to  their  custom.  In  many  cases  the  new  rule  leads  them 
to  turn  to  a  Hindu  priest  and  be  married  by  non-Christian 
rites.  Practically  all  churches  authorise  only  ordained 
men  to  perform  marriages.  Often  the  standard  for  ordi¬ 
nation  is  relatively  high.  As  a  result  districts  in  India 
can  be  found  where  there  has  been  a  mass  movement  to 
Christianity  and  where  in  July  and  August  the  requests 
for  marriage  ceremonies  average  twenty  per  week,  but 
where  there  are  only  two  ordained  men  to  respond  to  the 
needs  of  eight  thousand  converts.  To  perform  all  these 
marriages  off  in  distant  and  scattered  villages,  reached  by 
dusty  and  imperfect  roads  is  impossible.  Hence  many 
go  off  and  are  married  by  heathen  rites. 

e.  The  mother-in-law  taboo.  In  the  Congo,  a  man  will 
not  enter  the  house  of  his  mother-in-law  or  eat  food 
prepared  by  her.  Once  a  Sunday  service  was  badly 
disturbed  because  a  missionary  attempted  to  break  a 
native  custom.  It  happened  that  the  chapel  was  crowded ; 
there  seemed  to  be  only  one  vacant  seat.  An  African 
Christian  came  in  late.  The  missionary  pointed  out  the 
vacant  seat,  but  the  man  refused  to  take  it.  The  mission¬ 
ary  again  requested  him  to  sit  down,  but  he  replied  that 
he  could  not  sit  beside  his  mother-in-law.  Although 
reminded  that  a  Christian  should  not  cling  to  this 
“heathen”  custom  it  was  all  in  vain,  for  the  man  would 
not  take  that  seat.  Finally,  slipping  past  the  missionary, 
he  crowded  into  a  seat  already  full. 

113 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


f.  The  remarriage  of  widows.  The  influenza  epidemic 
in  the  Telugu  area  in  India  left  a  very  real  social  problem. 
There  were  hundreds  of  widowers  seeking  wives  among 
unmarried  girls.  There  were  also  hundreds  of  widows 
looking  forward  to  perpetual  widowhood.  For,  even 
though  they  were  Christians,  the  old,  ingrained,  Hindu 
antipathy  to  the  remarriage  of  widows  had  been  carried 
over  into  Christianity.  To  remarry  would  go  against 
their  finest  feelings.  A  missionary  in  this  area,  realising 
the  social  seriousness  of  the  situation,  undertook  to  act 
as  go-between  for  several  men  who  were  willing  to  take 
widows  as  wives.  But  although  he  and  his  wife  used  all 
the  tactful  skill  they  knew  in  broaching  the  subject  to 
each  widow  in  turn,  they  were  of  one  mind  in  their 
answer — “What  kind  of  women  do  you  think  we  are? 
Do  you  think  we  would  do  such  a  thing?” 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Are  our  Western  customs  merely  different,  or  are  they  also 
superior?  Inferior?  Illustrate  each  class. 

2.  How  widespread  is  the  tendency  to  idealise  behaviour  in 
conformity  with  one’s  own  mores,  and  to  depreciate  behaviour 
arising  out  of  strange  standards?  Make  your  answer  vivid  by 
several  concrete  instances.1 

3.  Sketch  the  procedure  which  in  your  opinion  would  best 
develop  marriage  customs,  both  Christian  and  indigenous. 

4.  Should  greater  emphasis  be  placed  on  behaviour,  or  on  en¬ 
lightened  motives  to  behaviour?2  Apply  your  answer  to  some 
definite  situation. 

5.  In  offering  the  Gospel  to  a  people  what  would  be  the  best 
way  to  make  sure  that  they  will  think  of  it  as  a  new  life,  and 
not  merely  as  new  customs? 

1  Cf.  Sumner,  W.  G.,  “Folkways,”  pp.  13-15. 

2  Cf.  Allen,  Roland,  “Missionary  Methods,  St.  Paul’s  or  Ours,”  pp. 
147-65. 


N 


114 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


2.  WORKING  OUT  A  CHRISTIAN  MARRIAGE  CEREMONY 

The  educated  and  cultured  classes  in  non-Christian 
communities  are  often  repelled  from  Christianity  as  they 
see  it  exemplified  about  them,  because  it  appears  to  be  a 
Western  religion,  tending  to  denationalise  its  converts, 
and  ignoring  native  social  customs  and  thought.  Because 
this  constitutes  a  very  serious  obstacle  to  the  acceptance 
of  Christianity,  missionaries  find  it  necessary  to  distin¬ 
guish  between  customs  which  are  definitely  immoral  or 
idolatrous,  and  those  which  are  not  positively  evil,  and 
therefore  may  be  retained  even  though  they  differ  greatly 
from  those  familiar  to  the  West. 

The  problem  may  be  exemplified  by  the  question  of 
adapting  the  Hindu  marriage  service  in  India  to  Christian 
use.  In  Hindu  life  a  wedding  is  an  exceedingly  important 
affair.  Many  religious  and  social  customs  centre  in  this 
ceremony,  and  the  usage  of  ages  makes  great  expenditure 
in  this  connection  almost  obligatory.  Such  expenditure 
is  one  of  the  most  common  causes  of  a  great  curse  in 
India — debt.  A  wedding  with  its  accompanying  cere¬ 
monies  and  feasts  goes  on  for  days,  and  both  before  and 
after  the  event  affords  an  absorbing  topic  of  conversa¬ 
tion.  A  system  of  Christianity  that  is  not  vitally  and 
effectively  touching  marriage  is  detached  from  life. 
Strenuous  efforts,  therefore,  are  made  by  missionaries 
and  Indian  preachers  to  see  that  the  members  of  their 
flocks  use  the  Christian  rather  than  the  heathen  marriage 
ceremony. 

Very  little  effort,  however,  has  been  made  to  adapt  the 
innocent  elements  of  the  indigenous  ceremony  to  Chris¬ 
tian  use.  The  more  general,  unimaginative  practice  has 
been  to  impose  the  Western  (not  to  be  confused  neces¬ 
sarily  with  Christian)  form  practically  without  change, 
except  in  the  translation  of  the  words  used.  It  is  pos¬ 
sible  for  a  busy  preacher  to  go  to  an  Indian  village  where 

115 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


a  marriage  is  to  be  performed,  take  out  his  little  book  of 
forms,  read  some  more  or  less  intelligible  words,  and 
then  pronounce  the  couple  man  and  wife.  The  whole 
affair  may  not  take  over  fifteen  minutes.  After  one  such 
wedding  when  the  preacher  had  jumped  on  his  bicycle 
and  gone  away,  the  people,  somewhat  dazed,  said,  “We 
thought  he  came  to  celebrate  the  marriage.  Why  did  he 
go  away  without  doing  it?” 

At  the  other  extreme  you  have  occasionally  an  effort 
to  take  over  into  Christianity  non-Christian  forms  and 
ceremonies  just  as  far  as  possible,  excluding  only  that 
which  is  positively  idolatrous.  A  missionary  in  the  United 
Provinces  has  been  experimenting  with  an  adaptation 
of  the  marriage  ceremony  for  converts  from  the  out- 
castes.  He  encourages  the  boy’s  people  to  do  the  pro¬ 
posing,  only  emphasising  the  importance  of  the  care  neces¬ 
sary  in  such  matters.  The  missionary  and  the  Indian 
preacher  study  the  horoscope  with  care,  and  insist  that 
the  wedding  date  be  fixed  by  them  and  not  by  the  Hindu 
Pandits.  Not  wanting  an  emaciated  Christian  wedding, 
they  permit  plenty  of  dancing  and  music,  but  insist  on 
these  being  pure.  A  marriage  pole  is  used,  covered  with 
a  Christian  symbol.  The  relatives  bow  before  the  bride, 
offering  their  gifts  with  appropriate  Christian  words. 
Knotting  together  the  garments  of  the  bride  and  groom 
is  retained  as  a  good  symbol  of  what  is  taking  place. 
They  march  around  the  pole,  now  the  groom  leading, 
now  the  bride.  The  people  had  a  custom  of  making  a 
thatch  over  the  marriage  pole.  The  missionary  instituted 
a  gay  little  canopy  with  appropriate  Scripture.  This 
added  much  glory  to  the  occasion.  If  the  bride  wishes 
the  ring  placed  upon  her  toe,  or  if  custom  makes  the 
part  where  the  missionary’s  presence  is  most  needed  come 
at  four  o’clock  in  the  morning,  no  objection  is  made. 
He  himself  wears  a  saffron  robe,  and  officiates  seated 
on  a  mat,  after  Indian  fashion. 

116 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


In  order  more  clearly  to  understand  the  problem  con¬ 
fronting  any  one  who  attempts  such  an  adaptation,  let  us 
read  two  paragraphs  taken  almost  at  random  from 
twenty-six  solid  pages  of  similar  detail  describing  the 
rites  and  customs  connected  with  the  three  great  divisions 
of  an  Indian  marriage,  viz.,  betrothal,  which  is  all  but 
irrevocable,  and  often  takes  place  in  infancy;  the  mar¬ 
riage  proper,  which  takes  place  in  childhood;  and  the 
consummation  of  the  marriage,  which  takes  place  when 
the  parties  reach  the  age  of  puberty. 

“On  the  days  appointed  the  following  marriage  pre¬ 
liminaries  are  carried  out  in  both  homes.  The  women, 
including  the  mother  of  the  bride  or  groom,  take  a  brass 
tray,  or  a  basket,  with  sugar,  pulse  or  gram  (chana)  and 
a  one-wicked  lamp  (chirag)  and  go  in  procession  to  the 
village  clay-pit.  They  are  preceded  by  a  Chamar  beating 
a  drum.  The  women  sing  as  they  go.  Then  they  wor¬ 
ship  the  drum,  marking  it  with  red-lead  (tika).  They 
mark  seven,  or  five,  places  about  the  pit  with  mustard-oil 
and  red-lead  (sindur).  Seven  or  five  women  are  then 
chosen,  each  of  whom  takes  a  clod  of  earth  from  one  of 
the  places  so  marked,  and  puts  it  into  a  basket.  They 
then  distribute  the  sugar  among  themselves,  after  which 
the  mother  carries  home  the  seven  clods  of  clay.  From 
this  earth  is  made  the  fireplace  for  the  cooking  of  the 
marriage  feast;  and  in  some  places  the  family  grindstone 
is  repaired  from  some  of  the  same  clay.  In  some  places 
the  earth  is  brought  without  any  ceremony.  On  this  day 
the  women  go  to  the  potter’s  house,  with  presents  of 
grain,  worship  his  wheel,  and  get  the  earthen  pots  used 
for  furnishing  the  marriage  pavilion  and  for  use  in  the 
house.  In  this  connection  Burha  Baba  is  worshipped. 
In  some  places  a  special  pot  (kalsa)  is  ornamented  and 
set  in  the  thatch. 

“The  mamdha,  mamro,  or  marriage  pavilion,  is  erected 
on  the  day  that  the  magic  earth  is  brought  home.  Some¬ 
times  the  mamdha  is  set  up  on  the  day  when  the  barat 
comes.  A  grass  rope  is  made  by  a  maternal  uncle  and 

ai7 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


hung  over  the  doorway  of  the  house,  and  sometimes  a 
winnowing  fan  is  hung  against  a  doorpost.  In  the  court¬ 
yard  in  front  of  the  house  four  (in  the  hill  country  some 
use  nine  poles  of  the  siddh  tree)  bamboo  posts  are  set 
up  and  a  thatch  is  built  over  them.  This  pavilion  is  large 
enough  to  seat  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  persons.  In 
some  places  two  green  bamboos  are  set  up  to  support  an 
awning  of  thatch  which  is  attached  to  the  house  above 
the  door,  and  occasionally  but  one  post  is  used.  Some¬ 
times  five  ploughs  are  planted  to  form  the  shed.  On 
each  side  of  the  door  earthen  vessels  of  water  are  set. 
Into  one  rice,  and  into  the  other  pulse,  is  thrown.  Mango 
leaves  are  also  used.  Earthen  lids  are  put  upon  both 
vessels,  the  necks  of  the  jars  are  bound  with  yellow  and 
red  threads,  and  each  is  tied  to  a  bamboo  post  with  a 
rope  of  grass  into  which  mango  leaves  are  bound.  In 
the  centre  of  the  pavilion  many  things  are  set  up,  but 
local  custom  determines  which  of  these  articles  shall  be 
used.  A  green  bamboo  and  a  plough-team  are  set  up  by 
five  men.  Under  the  bamboo  two  pice,  two  pieces  of 
turmeric,  two  betel  nuts  and  rice  are  buried.  The  plough- 
beam  is  worshipped — as  it  is  set  up,  and  the  maternal 
aunt  places  her  hand-impression  upon  the  beam  five 
times  in  a  paste  of  ground  haldi  and  rice.  She  also  puts 
her  hand-print  upon  the  backs  of  the  five  men  who  set 
up  the  pavilion.  Mango  leaves  and  a  kamgna  are  bound 
upon  the  plough-beam.  In  some  places  a  small  earthen 
pot,  bound  with  grass,  is  attached  to  the  beam.  This 
pot  is  ornamented  with  crossed  lines  made  with  rice  flour 
and  turmeric.  Five  marks  are  made  upon  the  beam  with 
red-lead,  and  a  brass  pot,  or  an  earthen  one,  is  placed 
beside  the  beam.  The  log  used  to  break  the  clods  in  the 
ploughed  field  is  often  set  up  also.  A  lamp  is  bound  to 
this  log.”  1 

Most  of  the  people  know  no  more  about  the  significance 
of  their  customs  than  we  do  about  the  original  significance 
of  our  custom  of  the  bride  wearing  a  veil,  or  the  groom 

1  “The  Chamars,”  Geo.  W.  Briggs,  pp.  77-8. 

118 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


giving  a  ring,  or  the  guests’  shower  of  rice  .  These  things 
are  just  the  way  we  do  it.  We  would  think  a  missionary 
of  another  religion  very  fussy  who  discouraged  these 
things  because  of  meanings  originally  connected  with 
them. 


DISCUSSION 

1.  Recalling  the  reference  to  the  twenty-six  pages  of  detailed 
marriage  rites  and  ceremonies,1  do  you  think  that  the  original 
significance  of  these  customs  should  be  ferreted  out  and  under¬ 
stood  by  the  missionary?  Why? 

2.  If  you  were  a  member  of  a  mission,  what  suggestions  could 
you  give  for  securing  this  information,  and  making  it  available 
to  missionaries  and  native  Christian  leaders? 

3.  What  manifest  gains  might  result  from  the  adaptation  of 
a  brief,  simple  Christian  marriage  service? 

4.  If  missionaries  insist  on  the  adoption  of  our  simple  mar¬ 
riage  service  as  a  part  of  the  acceptance  of  Christianity,  con¬ 
verts  usually  acquiesce.  Discuss  the  wisdom  of  foregoing  any 
possible  gains  from  such  an  insistence  rather  than  running  the 
risk  of  confusing  the  acceptance  of  Christ’s  way  of  life  with  the 
adoption  of  our  aesthetic  forms  and  standards. 

5.  Would  it  be  wise  not  only  to  retain  those  factors  in  the 
indigenous  ceremony  which  are  found  to  be  innocent  in  mean¬ 
ing,  but  also  to  endeavour  to  put  Christian  content  into  certain 
of  the  un-Christian  rites  or  customs  which  might  lend  them¬ 
selves  to  such  reinterpretation?  Give  an  example  of  what  you 
mean.  What  analogy  can  be  found  in  the  West?  What  very 
real  dangers  would  accompany  such  an  effort? 

3.  SUPPLANTING  PARENTAL  AUTHORITY 

The  complaint  is  made,  and  sometimes  with  reason, 
that  the  missionary  undermines  parental  authority.  A 
boy  who  becomes  a  Christian  often  lives  under  such 
different  surroundings  and  conditions  and  has  such  dif¬ 
ferent  aims  in  life  that  he  is  almost  certain  to  despise 
the  authority  of  his  father.  The  Christian  girls  also 
acquire  new  ideals.  But  a  girl  is  the  actual  property  of 

1  “The  Chamars,”  Geo.  W.  Briggs,  pp.  77-8. 

119 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


her  father,  and  a  financial  asset.  The  English  law  in 
some  places  such  as  India  and  Rhodesia  rules  that  no 
girl  shall  be  forced  into  a  marriage  against  her  will. 
Since  in  most  instances  will-power  has  been  pretty  thor¬ 
oughly  crushed  through  many  generations  of  custom  and 
training,  there  are  doubtless  countless  girls  who  do  marry 
against  their  inclinations.  Sometimes  the  girl  has  more 
backbone  than  the  average  and  when  her  father  tries  to 
force  her  into  a  marriage  she  runs  away  and  comes  to 
the  mission  for  protection.  What  should  be  the  attitude 
of  the  mission  in  such  a  case?  If  it  stands  by  the  girl, 
is  it  not  opening  the  door  for  the  complaint  that  it  under¬ 
mines  parental  authority?  Should  it  not  teach  obedience 
to  parents?  Is  the  missionary  justified  in  going  with  the 
girl  to  the  nearest  Commissioner  and  helping  her  in  her 
case  against  the  father? 

a.  In  the  case  of  parents  of  the  old  school.  A  Chinese 
girl  in  a  mission  school  became  secretly  engaged  to  a 
friend  in  a  neighbouring  boys’  school.  Later,  when  she 
became  a  teacher  in  an  out-station,  her  parents  were  ap¬ 
proached  after  the  old  custom  by  a  wealthy  suitor  for 
this  daughter.  Papers  were  drawn  up  in  Chinese  legal 
style.  But  on  the  eve  of  the  wedding  the  first  fiance  pro¬ 
tested.  Unfortunately  his  education  was  not  completed, 
and  he  could  not  as  yet  support  her. 

The  missionary  teachers  had  no  previous  knowledge  of 
either  proceeding,  but  were  consulted  at  this  awkward 
juncture.  With  their  respect  for  personality  and  their 
Western  individualistic  training,  should  they  champion 
the  first  fiance?  Ought  they  not  to  combat  a  custom 
which  places  the  fate  of  pupils  in  the  hands  of  parents, 
not  infrequently  both  selfish  and  ignorant?  On  the  other 
hand  observation  had  shown  them  that  the  new  ways 
were  only  partially  understood  and  were  apt  to  be  gravely 
abused  in  the  transition  stage.  Might  not  the  better 

120 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


families  hesitate  to  send  their  children  to  mission  schools 
if  they  are  indirectly  taught  to  mistrust  their  parents’ 
judgment,  and  to  use  secret  means  of  gaining  their  own 
ends?  In  any  case  tactful  guidance  is  necessary  from 
those  who  know  both  the  dangers  involved  and  the  limi¬ 
tations  beyond  which  women  may  not  safely,  or  prop¬ 
erly,  go. 

b.  In  the  case  of  a  wicked  father .  Martha  Masih  was 
a  little  girl  who  had  grown  to  be  eleven  years  of  age  in 
a  mission  school.  She  was  an  unusually  attractive  and 
promising  child.  From  the  time  she  was  five  she  had 
been  in  the  school  and  had  received  her  food,  clothing, 
and  in  fact  everything  from  the  mission  free  of  charge. 
Her  mother,  now  dead,  had  been  a  beautiful  Christian 
woman ;  but  the  father,  although  a  baptised  man,  was 
wicked  and  good  for  nothing.  Finally  for  a  sum  of 
money  he  made  arrangements  for  her  marriage  with  a 
Muhammadan.  The  missionary  District  Superintendent 
wrote  to  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the  girls’  school, 
asking  her  to  send  the  girl  to  a  far  distant  school  and, 
if  possible,  to  keep  the  father  in  ignorance  of  her  where¬ 
abouts.  This  the  missionary  in  charge  of  the  school  re¬ 
fused  to  do,  saying  that  the  father  had  first  right  to  his 
child.  Martha  was,  therefore  married  into  a  life  of  misery 
and  hopelessness. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  (a)  If  the  missionaries  in  case  a  believe  that,  at  this  stage, 
parental  control  in  the  matter  of  marriage  of  educated  children 
is  often  both  unjust  and  blind,  what  shall  they  do? 

(b)  How  would  you  estimate  the  decision  of  the  principal  of 
one  school  to  insist  that  no  arrangement' be  made  for  the  en¬ 
gagement  of  any  school  girl  or  teacher  without  informing  her, 
on  the  ground  that  some  such  plan  is  necessary  in  a  transition 
stage  ? 

(c)  What  can  be  said  for  and  against  substituting  the  Chinese 
pastors  and  officers  of  the  local  church  for  the  principal  in  the 

121 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


plan  of  the  previous  question:  (1)  When  they  would  be  likely 
to  sympathise  with  all  that  is  old?  (2)  When  they  would  be 
reasonably  open  to  the  new? 

2.  After  a  child  has  been  practically  raised  from  babyhood 
until  adolescence  by  the  mission  should  the  mission  expect  to 
have  anything  to  say  about  the  future  of  the  child?  On  what 
grounds?  This  question  is  especially  acute  in  the  case  of  girls. 

3.  What  positive  Christian  virtues  could  be  emphasised  in 
view  of  the  possible  weakening  of  blind  obedience  to  parental 
authority  ? 

4.  Try  to  decide  what  you  would  have  done  in  the  cases  men¬ 
tioned,  and  the  basis  in  principle  or  authority  for  your  decision. 


4.  DOUBTFUL  SOCIAL  CUSTOMS 

There  are  many  customs  on  the  mission  field  which  are 
not  immoral  in  the  narrow  sense,  but  which  are  yet  of 
doubtful  expediency.  They  are  often  so  interwoven  with 
the  social  fabric  as  to  make  decisive  and  immediate  eradi¬ 
cation  difficult. 

a.  Child  betrothal.  Many  of  the  Christians  from 
among  the  depressed  classes  in  India  are  unable  to  dis¬ 
associate  themselves  from  the  time-immemorial  custom 
of  child  betrothal.  They  regard  this  as  transferable  to 
their  Christian  status;  and,  apart  from  strong  traditional 
associations,  believe  that  it  makes  for  the  moral  security 
of  their  village  home  life,  as  men  are  more  likely  to  leave 
a  betrothed  girl  alone.  They  frequently  arrange  these 
social  features  among  themselves  and  appeal  to  the 
Christian  preacher  to  give  a  religious  sanction  to  the 
betrothal  of  their  children.  Sometimes,  because  of  the 
refusal  of  the  Christian  preacher  to  do  this,  these  families 
have  reverted  to  their  old  faith,  and  have  called  on  the 
Hindu  priest  to  preside  at  the  betrothal  ceremony.1 

l  One  of  the  large  missions  in  India  refuses  to  countenance  such 
betrothals. .  They  do  not,  however,  bring  church  discipline  to  bear  upon 
the  offending  parties.  Experienced  workers  are  employed  to  travel  among 
these  communities,  lecturing  upon  this  and  other  prevalent  social  evils. 

122 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


b.  Bride-price.  The  custom  of  taking  a  dowry  for 
the  bride  is  very  widespread.  In  China  parents  of  the 
bride  demand  a  certain  amount,  on  the  ground  that  they 
have  been  to  considerable  expense  for  a  number  of  years 
and  should  be  reimbursed  when  the  daughter  leaves.  In 
Siam  large  sums  are  demanded  from  the  groom  in  order 
to  have  a  legal  marriage,  and  if  a  Christian  does  not  ask 
for  this  money  according  to  custom,  his  girls  are  not 
considered  to  have  much  value.  Marriage  in  Africa  is 
very  generally  associated  with  lobola,  a  sum  paid  by  a 
man  to  the  father  of  his  fiancee.  Originally  this  was 
taken  as  a  guarantee  that  the  son-in-law  would  be  faithful 
and  kind  to  his  wife.  It  may  be  paid  in  cattle,  cash,  or  by 
giving  a  woman  in  exchange.  Many  churches  have  de¬ 
cided  that  no  Christian  may  receive  lobola. 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  many  who  feel  that,  even 
if  it  were  possible,  it  would  not  be  advisable  to  do  away 
altogether  with  the  payment  of  money  or  lobola.  They 
would  wait  until  Christianity  and  civilisation  have  ad¬ 
vanced  sufficiently  among  the  people  to  have  substituted 
something  which  will  take  the  place  of  lobola  in  main¬ 
taining  proper  relations  between  husband  and  wife.  For, 
in  judging  of  these  customs,  it  is  well  for  us  to  remember 
that  there  have  been  two  institutions  of  society  which 
have  been  closely  conjoined  and  correlated  all  through 
history,  namely,  marriage  and  property.  Throughout 
great  stretches  of  time  the  position  of  women  in  matri¬ 
mony  has  been  felt  to  depend  upon  no  more  than  a 
transitory  feeling  unless  it  is  steadied  and  rendered  stable 
by  a  property  guarantee.  Hence  the  dowry,  or  bride- 
price. 

An  example  will  show  the  complications  which  arise. 
Richard,  a  church  member  in  Southern  Rhodesia,  was 
accused  of  having  received  lobola  for  his  sister,  who  had 
been  married  to  George,  a  native  evangelist  from  a  neigh¬ 
bouring  mission.  Richard  was  at  once  suspended  from 

123 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


the  church,  and  told  that  he  must  return  the  lobola  money 
to  George  before  he  could  be  reinstated.  Some  time  later 
the  two  men  appeared  and  George  declared  that  he  would 
not  take  back  the  money,  probably  fearing  complications 
later  on  with  the  wife’s  family,  or  that  his  wife  would 
not  respect  a  marriage  in  which  her  people  had  received 
no  goods.  Whereupon  Richard  asked  to  be  reinstated  in 
the  church.  A  trial  was  held  in  order  to  determine  under 
what  conditions  Richard  might  be  received  back.  In  the 
course  of  this  trial  it  came  out  that  some  years  before 
Richard  had  gone  to  the  mines  to  work,  had  sent  money 
home  to  his  father  for  safe-keeping,  and  the  father  (a 
non-Christian)  had  spent  the  money  in  buying  himself 
another  wife.  On  Richard’s  return  the  father  told  him 
that  upon  the  sale  of  his  sister  the  proceeds  would  go  to 
him  in  return  for  the  money  which  had  been  spent  by  the 
father.  In  the  course  of  time  the  father  died;  and  when 
the  sister  was  married  Richard  received  the  lobola  money, 
as  above  stated,  in  fulfilment  of  his  father’s  pledge.  On 
the  evidence  as  presented  he  was  readmitted  to  the  church 
and  was  allowed  to  keep  the  money.  Did  he  do  wrong 
in  receiving  this  money  from  the  sale  of  his  sister  under 
these  circumstances,  or  was  he  justified  in  so  doing?  In 
another  similar  case  where  the  groom  refused  to  receive 
back  the  money,  it  was  suggested  by  the  father  to  whom 
the  money  had  been  given,  that  the  church  take  the  money. 
This,  however,  was  not  approved  by  the  majority  of  the 
members.  They  did,  later,  consent  to  take  the  money  in 
trust,  the  matter  of  its  disposal  to  be  settled  at  another 
time. 

c.  Rearing  a  wife.  Another  doubtful  custom  prevails 
in  certain  lands  where  a  high  bride-price  is  demanded.  A 
poor  family  may  decide  that  they  will  never  be  able  to 
purchase  a  bride  for  their  son.  Rather  than  see  him  a 
bachelor  all  his  life,  they  either  buy  for  very  little  money, 

124 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


or  more  generally  get  given  to  him,  a  baby  girl,  which 
they  raise  in  the  family.  The  prospective  bride  is  brought 
up  side  by  side  with  the  boy,  and  when  the  parents  think 
them  old  enough,  they  are  married. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  In  the  case  of  a  custom  that  should  be  supplanted  discuss 
the  relative  wisdom  (a)  of  a  firm  insistence  on  what  you  regard 
as  the  better  practice;  (b)  leaving  actual  practice  alone,  but 
attempting  to  inculcate  your  attitudes,  so  that  practice  will  eventu¬ 
ally  be  affected  from  within ;  or  (c)  guarding  against  instilling 
your  own  attitude,  but  raising  the  question,  stimulating  thought, 
and  furnishing  data  so  that  a  progressive  change  is  natural. 

2.  What  would  you  say  for  or  against  a  missionary  who  con¬ 
sistently  withheld  all  expression  of  opinion  on  native  customs, 
even  when  asked,  and  confined  himself  to  teaching  the  general 
principles  of  Christianity? 

3.  Should  matters  of  doubtful  expediency  be  settled  (a)  by 
the  authority  of  the  missionary  who  may  know  best  the  essence 
of  Christianity?  (b)  Or  by  Christian  leaders  of  the  country, 
who  may  best  know  the  degree  of  viciousness  in  a  given  native 
practice?  (c)  Or  is  there  some  better  plan  than  either  of  these 
extremes? 

4.  To  which  would  you  give  the  greater  weight  in  judging  the 
doubtfulness  of  a  given  custom — its  apparent  results,  or  the 
meaning  and  value  attached  to  it  in  the  minds  of  the  people? 

5.  Sometimes  the  remedy  for  prevalent  marital  irregularities 
seems  to  lie  in  better  and  more  suitable  laws.  The  laws  for 
divorce  of  Christians  may  have  been  worked  out  under  the 
influence  of  Western  social  and  economic  standards.  The  pro¬ 
cedure  may  be  too  difficult  and  prohibitive  in  expense  for  simple 
peasants,  as  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  case  in  India.  The  present 
law  for  Christians  in  India  requires  six  months  after  divorce 
has  been  granted  before  the  decree  becomes  absolute;  and  then 
six  more  months  before  remarriage  may  take  place.  Owing  to 
the  social  conditions  which  exist  in  India,  which  make  it  difficult 
for  an  unmarried  woman  to  obtain  an  honest  living  for  any 
lengthened  period  without  being  subjected  to  temptation,  there  is 
widespread  feeling  among  missionaries  that  the  law  should  allow 
remarriage  after  one  month  following  the  absolute  decree,  so 
that  she  may  be  able  to  obtain  the  protection  by  remarriage  that 

125 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


her  situation  demands.  These  and  many  other  marriage  ques¬ 
tions  have  been  under  consideration  by  the  National  Missionary 
Council,  some  of  the  Provincial  Representative  Councils  of  Mis¬ 
sions,  the  All-India  Conference  of  Christians,  and  the  South 
India  Missionary  Association.  Is  the  giving  of  time  and  thought 
to  the  careful  consideration  of  existing  marriage  laws  and  assist¬ 
ance  in  the  formulation  of  memorials  for  change  in  the  laws  of 
marriage  and  divorce  a  legitimate  part  of  missionary  work? 
Or  should  missionaries  confine  themselves  to  preaching  the  “sim¬ 
ple  Gospel”?  Explain. 

6.  Illustrate  the  following  principle  : 

“Everything  in  the  mores  of  a  time  and  place  must  be  regarded 
as  justified  with  regard  to  that  time  and  place.  .  .  .  People  in 
mass  have  never  made  or  kept  up  a  custom  in  order  to  hurt  their 
own  interests.  They  have  made  innumerable  errors  as  to  what 
their  interests  were  and  how  to  satisfy  them,  but  they  have  al¬ 
ways  aimed  to  serve  their  interests  as  well  as  they  could.”  1 

In  what  way  would  such  a  principle  tend  to  affect  a  mission¬ 
ary’s  action  with  reference  to  a  social  custom  of  doubtful  ex¬ 
pediency? 


5.  POLYGAMOUS  HUSBANDS 

Questions  of  extraordinary  delicacy  and  difficulty  arise 
for  missionaries  in  dealing  with  polygamy  which  is  still 
widespread  in  most  non-Christian  lands.  There  is  abso¬ 
lute  agreement  that  Christian  marriage  is  that  of  one  man 
with  one  woman,  and  there  is  unanimity  also  in  the  de¬ 
termination  to  uphold  this  ideal  among  the  members  of 
the  young  church  in  the  mission  field.  But  a  very  real 
problem  and  difference  of  opinion  arises  in  connection 
with  those  who  have  entered  into  the  polygamous  rela¬ 
tionship  before  seeking  baptism.  Many  a  Westerner  will 
at  once  say  that  this  is  no  problem  at  all,  simply  forbid 
it,  and  be  done  with  it.  But  let  us  think  of  this  problem 
in  terms  of  actual  human  lives  and  loves. 

a.  An  aged  trio.  One  old  man,  nearly  eighty,  asked 
for  baptism,  with  his  two  wives,  both  over  seventy. 

1  Sumner,  W.  G.,  “Folkways,”  p.  58. 

126 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


Through  the  aid  of  his  first  wife  he  had  made  his  start 
in  life,  but  she  was  childless.  With  her  consent  and 
help,  he  married  the  second  wife,  by  whom  he  had  had 
several  children.  The  three  had  lived  together  for  sev¬ 
eral  decades.  Turning  away  either  old  woman  meant 
misery  to  all  three,  and  there  would  be  no  satisfactory 
place  for  the  discarded  wife  to  go.  Furthermore  they 
could  afford  to  live  together  but  not  separately. 

b.  A  childless  wife.  In  a  small  city  in  North  India 
lived  Abdula,  a  Muhammadan  hakim  (native  doctor). 
He  had  some  education  and  made  his  living  by  giving 
out  native  medicines,  opening  boils,  and  bleeding  in  the 
old-fashioned  way.  A  missionary  used  to  preach  in  the 
bazaar  near  his  place  of  business,  so  that  he  heard  much 
of  the  new  teaching  of  a  living  Father  and  Saviour.  He 
bought  a  Bible,  came  to  the  missionary  for  private  in¬ 
struction,  and  finally  asked  for  baptism. 

Here  an  obstacle  was  found,  for,  when  Abdula  was  a 
small  boy,  he  had  been  married  according  to  the  custom 
of  his  people.  As  the  years  passed,  and  his  wife  Zainab 
bore  no  children,  he  brought  in  another  younger  wife, 
Sahara,  and  soon  she  was  the  mother  of  a  little  girl, 
Marian.  The  first  wife  stayed  on  in  the  home,  ever 
praying  that  she  might  have  a  son.  She  continued  to  be 
a  faithful  wife,  caring  for  the  old  mother  who  was  blind 
and  crippled,  looking  after  the  baby,  and  helping  the 
young  mother  who  was  never  strong.  She  was  just  a 
household  drudge,  with  little  hope  or  love  in  her  life. 

When  Abdula  told  of  his  proposed  step  there  was 
trouble,  for  the  women  had  never  heard  of  Christ.  For 
them  there  was  no  god  but  Allah,  and  Muhammad  was 
his  prophet.  Who  was  Christ,  and  why  had  this  new 
teaching  come?  Abdula  wanted  to  be  baptised,  but  the 
missionary  made  it  clear  that  he  could  not  baptise  a  man 
who  had  two  wives  ?  He  must  put  one  away,  but  which  ? 

127 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


After  weeks  of  thought  he  sent  his  first  wife  away, 
for  she  had  borne  him  no  heirs,  and  according  to  Mu¬ 
hammadan  custom  that  was  sufficient  ground  for  divorce. 
Zainab  had  worked  hard,  had  tried  to  please  him,  had 
cared  for  the  old  mother,  had  nursed  the  delicate  new 
wife,  and  had  cared  for  the  baby  as  though  she  were 
her  own;  and  now,  because  of  this  new  religion,  she  had 
been  put  out.  What  should  she  do  ?  There  was  no  place 
to  which  she  could  go.  As  a  result  another  Muham¬ 
madan  took  her  in  as  a  concubine.  Abdula  was  baptised, 
as  were  also  the  old  mother,  Sahara,  and  the  little  girl 
Marian  later  on.  Sahara  developed  tuberculosis,  became 
a  hopeless  invalid,  and  finally  died. 

In  course  of  time  Abdula  met  a  Christian  widow,  who 
was  a  trained  nurse,  and  wanted  to  marry  her.  Then 
the  question  arose,  should  he  marry  this  woman,  or  was 
he  bound  to  the  first  wife  that  he  had  put  away  so  that 
he  might  be  baptised  ?  What  happened  was  this :  Abdula 
married  the  widow,  reared  a  family,  engaged  in  district 
dispensory  work,  and  both  became  zealous  evangelists. 

c.  Adding  a  brother's  widow.  Bag  was  a  candidate 
for  baptism  in  a  village  of  the  Punjab,  but  he  had  two 
wives  who  were  sisters.  He  was  a  very  intelligent  man, 
and  his  household  was  one  of  the  best  ordered  and  dis¬ 
ciplined  in  the  village.  The  only  difficulty  was  the  two 
wives.  He  had  married  the  second  wife,  who  was  a 
widow  of  his  brother,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of 
the  outcaste  people.  He  was  perfectly  justified  in  doing 
that  according  to  the  rules  of  the  community  to  which 
he  belonged ;  in  fact,  he  did  it  as  a  duty,  rather  than 
because  he  chose  to  do  so.  He  asked  for  baptism  a  num¬ 
ber  of  times  and  the  missionary  kept  postponing  the 
matter,  not  knowing  what  he  should  do.  The  policy  of 
his  church  and  the  rule  of  his  General  Assembly  was 
against  baptism.  He  came  to  America  on  furlough,  leav- 

128 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


ing  the  case  undecided.  While  he  was  in  America  a 
native  preacher  of  another  denomination  came  along  and 
baptised  the  family.  When  the  missionary  returned  to 
India,  he  found  them  members  in  good  standing  in  his 
church.  He  was  very  glad  that  the  matter  had  been  set¬ 
tled  in  his  absence.  They  have  proved  to  be  leading 
Christians  in  their  village  ever  since.  The  fact  that  he 
had  not  done  the  baptising  kept  the  case  from  becoming 
a  precedent. 

d.  Concubinage .  In  a  little  village  in  Korea  there  was 
a  rich  man  well  along  in  years  who  had,  besides  a  wife, 
a  concubine.  He  had  children  by  both  these  women. 
This  man  while  travelling  around  became  very  much  in¬ 
terested  in  Christianity.  On  his  return  to  his  village,  he 
talked  it  over  with  other  leading  men  and  they  decided 
to  ask  that  a  preacher  be  sent  to  their  village  to  begin 
church  work.  This  rich  man  furnished  the  building  in 
which  the  services  were  held  and  used  his  influence  to 
get  most  of  the  people,  many  of  whom  were  his  tenants, 
to  attend  church  regularly.  When  a  collection  was 
taken  up  for  a  new  church  building,  he  gave  by  far  the 
larger  part  of  the  money.  He  seemed  very  earnest  and 
zealous  in  his  desire  to  do  the  will  of  God,  but  the 
churches  of  Korea  have  agreed  to  receive  no  one  into 
their  membership  who  has  more  than  one  wife,  or  who 
has  a  concubine.  So  this  man  was  exhorted  to  provide 
separately  for  his  concubine  and  her  children  and  to  live 
only  with  his  wife.  He  was  assured  that  in  this  way  he 
would  be  admitted  to  church  membership.  This,  how¬ 
ever,  he  did  not  see  fit  to  do  and  accordingly  he  was 
never  received  into  the  church.  However,  he  continued 
his  interest  in  and  support  of  the  church  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  both  his  wife  and  his  concubine  were 
faithful  in  their  attendance. 


129 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


DISCUSSION 

Missionary  practice  on  this  troublesome  question  is  by  no 
means  uniform.  In  Africa  wives  are  numbered  by  tens  and 
scores.  They  are  often  little  more  than  slaves,  and  in  such 
cases  there  is  not  much  unity  of  family  life  or  evidence  of  con¬ 
jugal  affection.  Furthermore,  in  Africa,  setting  aside  a  plural 
wife  does  not,  as  a  rule,  involve  her  in  hardship.  They  are 
likely  to  hail  their  freedom  with  joy,  marry  men  of  their  own 
choice,  and  actually  be  improved  in  status.  Mission  practice  in 
Africa,  therefore,  is  almost  uniform  in  requiring  applicants  for 
Christian  baptism  to  lay  aside  all  but  one  wife,  or  to  remain 
unbaptised.  In  China  and  India,  however,  family  life  is  vastly 
higher.  In  both  lands,  the  second  or  third  wife  is  often  taken 
for  the  sake  of  male  heirs,  under  the  tremendous  social  and 
religious  conviction  that  such  an  heir  is  essential  to  the  welfare 
of  the  whole  family.  The  suggestion  by  a  barren  wife  that  a 
second  wife  be  taken  is  considered  praiseworthy.  In  China  a 
man  may  properly  marry  two  wives,  one  for  the  house  of  his 
father,  and  one  for  the  house  of  an  uncle  who  has  no  son  of 
his  own.  Such  wives  have  equal  footing  and  have  equal  social 
standing.  Facts  such  as  these  make  may  missionaries  hesitate  to 
break  up  family  relations,  and  a  variety  of  practices  has  resulted. 
The  following  solutions  are  found: 

1.  Some  refuse  to  receive,  even  for  instruction,  a  candidate  for 
baptism  who  is  living  with  more  than  one  wife.  Such  mission¬ 
aries  believe  that  a  custom  which  is  so  subversive  of  pure  and 
Christian  ideals  of  family  life  cannot  be  regarded  with  any 
toleration. 

2.  Many  vrould  receive  such  a  candidate  for  Christian  instruc¬ 
tion,  but  would  ask  him  to  wait  for  baptism  until  he  is  free 
from  polygamous  ties.  One  objection  to  this  is  thus  stated  by 
one  of  the  most  experienced  missionaries  of  the  Punjab,  writing 
in  1922 :  “In  such  cases,  all  will  soon  lapse  into  Islam,  and  so  the 
hope  of  the  missionary  be  lost.” 

3.  Many  definitely  advise  the  candidate  to  put  away  all  but 
one  wife,  either  arranging  for  the  re-marriage  of  those  put  away, 
or  maintaining  them  in  a  separate  establishment.  Thus,  becom¬ 
ing  the  husband  of  one  wife  only,  he  is  accepted  for  baptism. 
One  missionary  writes :  “There  is  no  reason  for  winking  at 
polygamy,  and  every  reason  for  drawing  the  ideal,  scriptural 
line  persistently  against  it.  The  man  who  is  in  earnest  and 
under  conviction  can  always  find  a  way  to  get  rid  of  wives,  often 

130 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


aided  by  the  friendly  counsel  of  the  missionary.  Not  to  make 
provision  for  them  is  to  encourage  adultery.” 

4.  Some  admit  the  man  and  all  his  wives  to  church  membership 
if  they  are  otherwise  satisfactory,  openly  protesting  against  all 
polygamous  relationships,  and  reinforcing  the  protest  by  prohibit¬ 
ing  persons  thus  baptised  from  holding  any  church  office.  Such 
missionaries  realise  that  the  practice  of  polygamy  is  not  con¬ 
trary  to  the  natural  and  unenlightened  non-Christian  conscience. 
While  convinced  that  the  polygamous  relationship  is  not  in  accord 
with  God’s  ideal  for  man,  they  nevertheless  feel  that  to  undo 
this  relationship  when  once  formed,  may  only  be  adding  sin  to 
sin.  It  would  deprive  children  of  the  protection  of  their  fathers, 
or  of  their  mothers.  A  wife  so  separated  becomes  a  problem  in 
herself,  a  temptation  to  the  young  men  of  the  community,  and 
in  many  places  it  would  mean  almost  certain  immorality  for  the 
rejected  wife.  They  are  inclined  to  regard,  from  a  Christian 
standpoint,  the  second  and  third  marriages  to  be  as  indissoluble 
as  the  first.  In  other  words,  they  believe  that  they  have  a  duty 
to  the  mores  of  the  people  concerned,  and  deprecate  any  cause 
which  would  tend  to  impair  the  validity  of  contracts  undertaken 
prior  to  conversion.1 

5.  A  few  would  baptise  otherwise  worthy  and  suitable  candi¬ 
dates  without  imposing  any  condition.  They  are  influenced  by 
the  considerations  given  in  (4),  and  feel  that  there  is  no  adequate 
reason  for  drawing  a  line  between  the  privilege  of  church  mem¬ 
bership  and  the  right  to  hold  a  church  office. 

1  An  excellent  example  of  legislation  along  the  line  of  this  solution  is 
found  in  the  resolutions  of  the  Synod  of  Chao-Hwei-Chou  (one  of  the  six 
Synods  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  China). 

“If  the  secondary  wife  has  no  children,  and  is  willing  to  leave  him  and 
be  married  to  another  Christian,  this  may  be  done:  but  it  is  necessary  first 
to  consult  the  local  Session,  who  shall  enquire  minutely,  and  decide  the 
matter,  so  that  no  further  wrong  may  be  done  to  the  woman  concerned. 

“If  this  secondary  wife  has  children,  or  if  she  is  unwilling  to  be  mar¬ 
ried  to  another,  then  they  cannot  be  separated. 

“If  for  such  reasons  they  cannot  be  separated,  then  both  parties  must  be 
informed  that  the  taking  of  the  secondary  wife  was  truly  sinful  and  can¬ 
not  be  sanctioned  by  the  Church.  But  as  the  matter  is  already  thus  in¬ 
volved,  so  that  it  cannot  be  extricated,  if  it  appears  that  the  man  con¬ 
cerned  is  a  sincere  believer  in  the  Lord,  and  there  is  no  other  obstacle,  then 
the  Church  may  receive  him  to  Baptism,  but  he  can  never  hold  office  in  the 
Church. 

“Inasmuch  as  the  consequences  of  these  matters  are  extremely  serious  and 
are  of  great  difficulty,  therefore  local  Sessions  must  not  decide  them  of 
themselves.  They  must  first  petition  the  Presbytery,  and  await  the  Pres¬ 
bytery’s  minute  enquiry  and  decision,  and  after  sanction  has  been  given 
such  persons  may  be  admitted  to  Baptism. 

“After  the  rite  of  Baptism  is  administered,  the  clergyman  shall  first  read 
aloud  the  above  seven  rules,  that  all  the  members  of  the  congregation  may 
near  for  their  instruction,  and  thereafter  Baptism  shall  be  administered  in 
the  usual  form.”  Cf.  World  Missionary  Conference,  Vol.  2,  p.  325. 

131 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


Decision  in  these  matters  lies,  of  course,  in  the  hands  of  the 
native  churches.  But  even  in  the  older  churches  the  judgment  of 
the  missionary  has  still  great  weight,  and  in  the  younger  ones  it 
has  a  formative  influence.  Furthermore,  practice  in  this  matter 
is  in  flux.  One  presbytery  in  China  at  its  last  meeting  (1922) 
changed  from  solution  (3)  to  solution  (4).  The  Reference  Com¬ 
mittee  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  South  India  United 
Church,  ascertaining  after  enquiry  that  practice  is  by  no  means 
uniform  within  their  area  in  the  matter  of  baptising  converts 
from  Hinduism  who  have  two  wives,  recommended  in  1921  that 
a  comparative  study  of  this  subject  be  made,  as  a  basis  for  As¬ 
sembly  action.  Some  years  ago  an  American  missionary  was 
recalled  for  admitting  a  man  and  his  two  wives  to  the  church, 
although  his  mission  on  the  field  stood  back  of  him.  A  recon¬ 
sideration  of  this  subject  will  likely  come  in  every  mission  field. 
Insofar  as  missionaries  may  be  called  on  to  advise  the  churches  on 
the  field  in  these  matters,  they  should  be  ready  to  give  the  most 
enlightened,  Christian  judgment  possible. 

6.  The  resultant  judgment  in  any  particular  case  may  be  the 
result  of  various  considerations,  such  as  a  strict  adherence  to 
the  Christian  ideal,  the  present  attitude  of  the  people  concerned, 
the  purity  of  the  church,  the  welfare  of  the  children,  fear  of 
creating  an  awkward  precedent,  the  extent  to  which  public  opinion 
will  uphold  your  decision,  etc.  What  other  considerations  can 
you  add?  Arrange  these  in  two  groups,  viz.,  considerations  of 
primary  importance,  of  secondary  importance. 

7.  A  special  report  to  one  missionary  society  in  1900  recom¬ 
mended  that  “the  whole  question  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
application  from  polygamists  for  baptism  and  Church  member¬ 
ship  should  be  dealt  with  can  best  be  decided  by  the  Native 
Christian  Churches  in  conference  with  the  Missionaries  at  each 
station.”  The  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
India  in  1906  resolved:  “That  it  is  not  advisable  to  legislate, 
debarring  from  admission  to  the  Christian  Church  an  applicant 
for  Baptism  solely  on  the  ground  of  his  having  more  than  one 
wife  to  whom  he  was  legally  married  before  seeking  admission 
to  the  Christian  Church;  but  that,  in  its  opinion,  it  is  right  to 
leave  the  responsibility  of  deciding  in  individual  cases  as  they 
arise  with  sessions.”  Would  you  approve,  or  disapprove,  these 
recommendations?  On  what  grounds? 

8.  Among  some  tribes  the  union  of  one  woman  with  several 
husbands  is  a  recognised  institution.  The  General  Synod  of  the 
Moravian  Church  in  1879  passed  the  following  resolution.  “That 

132 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


in  exceptional  cases,  and  only  in  such,  polygamists  may  be  ad¬ 
mitted  to  holy  Baptism,  but  polyandrists  in  no  case.”  On  what 
grounds  can  such  a  distinction  be  made? 

9.  It  is  by  no  means  as  easy  as  it  might  at  first  appear  to 
show  in  any  convincing  way  wherein  polygamy  is  wrong.  How 
would  you  attempt  to  do  this,  for  example,  with  an  African? 

10.  Many  who  adopt  solution  (4)  have  been  influenced  by 
Titus  1:6  and  1  Tim.  3:2.  Look  up  commentaries1  on  these 
verses  and  decide  how  far  they  should  be  decisive  in  your  judg¬ 
ment.  The  missionary  quoted  in  solution  (3)  speaks  of  “the 
ideal  Scripture  line.”  What  is  the  teaching  of  the  Bible  on  this 
subject? 

11.  Civil  law  in  some  colonial  areas  has  made  definite  con¬ 
cessions  to  the  so-called  “customary  laws”  of  the  people  in  respect 
to  marriage  and  divorce.  Judge  the  wisdom  of  a  missionary’s 
accepting  such  civil  law  as  a  standard  for  native  Christian 
practice. 

12.  Does  church  practice  in  the  West  tend  to  greater  or  to  less 
rigidity  in  regard  to  questions  of  maintaining  the  purity  of  family 
life?  Why  do  you  think  so?  What  bearing  does  this  have  on 
what  your  policy  would  be  on  the  mission  field? 

13.  Read  over  the  cases  given  above  and  try  to  decide  in  each 
instance  what  in  your  judgment  it  would  have  been  best  to  do. 
Try  also  to  state  the  principles  underlying  your  decisions. 

6.  WIVES  OF  POLYGAMISTS 

a.  Baptism.  A  somewhat  different  problem  from  the 
preceding  presents  itself  where  a  woman  who  is  one  of 
several  wives  presents  herself  for  baptism.  In  her  behalf 
it  may  be  said  that  presumably  she  does  not  violate  the 
Christian  precept  which  enjoins  fidelity  to  one  husband; 
that  she  has  not  been  responsible  for  his  plural  mar¬ 
riages;  and  that,  even  if  she  could  leave  her  husband,  it 
would  almost  certainly  separate  her  children  from  a 
mother’s  care. 

b.  Voluntary  return  as  plural  wife.  A  non-Christian 
man  who  has  a  believing  wife  takes  a  second  wife, 

1  Cf.  The  Pastoral  Epistles,  in  the  Expositor’s  Bible,  pp.  118-29. 

133 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


whereupon  the  believing  wife  leaves  the  husband.  After 
a  number  of  years  the  husband  wants  the  first  wife  to 
come  back  and  live  with  him.  Shall  she  go,  or  not?  If 
she  goes,  should  she  be  subject  to  church  discipline? 

c.  Re-marriage .  A  secondary  wife  has  been  set  aside 
by  her  husband  as  a  condition  of  being  received  into  the 
church.  Should  this  wife  be  re-married  by  Christian 
rites  as  the  sole  wife  of  another  man,  if  she  so  desires? 

d.  As  a  Bible-woman.  In  a  certain  station  in  China 
is  a  Bible  Training  School  for  women.  A  short  time 
ago  the  woman  in  charge  of  this  Bible  School  discovered 
that  three  of  the  women  who  were  training  for  Bible 
work  were  secondary  wives.  She  had  a  most  difficult 
problem  to  solve.  She  consulted  many  Chinese  leaders 
and  also  a  number  of  the  missionaries,  to  know  what 
she  should  do.  As  her  church  does  not  give  its  consent 
to  taking  men  into  the  church  who  have  secondary  wives 
or  concubines,  would  a  secondary  wife  or  a  concubine 
be  able  to  do  a  Bible-woman’s  work?  After  much 
thought,  discussion,  and  prayer,  it  was  decided  that  it 
would  be  unwise  to  send  these  women  out  to  do  Bible- 
women’s  work.  Frequently  they  would  come  into  houses 
where  the  subject  of  a  secondary  wife  would  come  up, 
and  it  was  felt  that  they  could  scarcely  discourage  the 
practice  when  they  themselves  were  either  secondary 
wives  or  concubines. 

e.  Obligation  to  zvife  set  aside.  A  leading  Chinese 
Christian  had  two  wives  before  becoming  a  Christian. 
Both  wives  later  were  converted.  Wife  No.  2,  after  re¬ 
peated  urging  by  her  husband,  agreed  to  separate.  The 
annulment  of  his  relations  with  her  was  announced  in 
church.  Years  passed.  The  second  wife  felt  she  could 
not  marry  again,  so  supported  herself.  The  first  wife 
died.  The  second  wife  expected  the  man  to  re-marry 

134 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


her,  and  asked  a  lady  missionary  to  suggest  this  to  him. 
The  missionary  took  no  action,  and  the  man  married  a 
Chinese  widow  educated  in  America,  refusing  to  recog¬ 
nise  any  obligation  towards  his  previous,  second  wife. 
Non-Christians  were  very  much  shocked  at  this  action, 
as  were  many  Christians  also.  It  was  suggested  that  the 
church  take  the  matter  up.  But,  because  of  different 
opinions  among  Christians,  and  the  high  position  of  the 
man,  nothing  was  done.  His  last  wife  has  for  several 
successive  years  been  proposed  as  an  officer  in  a  Chris¬ 
tian  organisation,  but  thus  far  has  not  been  elected,  solely 
because  of  her  marital  situation. 

f.  Membership  in  Y.  W.  C.  A.  At  the  fourth  Secre¬ 
tarial  Conference  of  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  As¬ 
sociation  of  China  in  1919  the  question  as  to  whether 
secondary  wives  should  be  admitted  to  Association  mem¬ 
bership  came  up  for  discussion. 

Some  in  favour  of  admitting  them  argued  that  the 
Christian  church  in  China  had  not  come  to  a  unanimous 
verdict  on  this  subject  although  it  was  acknowledged 
that  in  most  cases  women  are  not  admitted  to  member¬ 
ship  in  the  church  so  long  as  they  continued  to  be  secon¬ 
dary  wives.  It  was  further  urged  that  the  more  intelli¬ 
gent  and  more  influential  women  are  secondary  wives, 
and  that  most  of  these  women  are  in  their  condition 
through  no  fault  of  their  own,  since  they  have  no  personal 
freedom  to  contract  or  dissolve  matrimonial  alliances. 
Hence,  to  discriminate  against  them  in  the  Association 
would  only  make  their  lot  harder.  It  was  acknowledged 
by  all  that  there  were  many  cases  where  secondary  wives 
were  really  Christian  women,  whether  they  had  been  ad¬ 
mitted  to  the  church  or  not,  and  that  there  was  abso¬ 
lutely  no  place  for  them  outside  their  husband’s  homes. 
They  could  not  go  back  to  their  old  homes,  nor  could 
they  become  self-supporting.  Hence,  it  seemed  prac- 

135 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


tically  impossible  for  them  to  change  their  marital  rela¬ 
tionship.  Furthermore,  public  opinion  in  different  parts 
of  China  differed  greatly  on  this  subject.  In  some 
centres,  little  touched  by  Western  influence,  secondary 
wives  hold  a  very  good  social  position.  Secretaries 
realised  that  in  such  centres  an  adverse  ruling  might 
cause  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  the  Association. 

On  the  other  hand  it  was  urged  that  the  custom  of 
having  secondary  wives  is  harmful  to  home  life  and  to 
the  position  of  women.  While  realising  that  refusal  of 
Association  membership  to  this  class  would  necessarily 
work  hardship  upon  individual  women  who  were  in  this 
position  through  no  fault  of  their  own,  it  was  urged  that 
public  opinion  on  this  matter  would  not  be  aroused  until 
women  themselves  took  an  attitude  of  strong  protest  on 
the  subject.  It  was  understood  that  classes,  meetings, 
and  many  other  privileges  of  the  Association  would  be 
open  to  these  women  and  that  the  secretaries  would 
neglect  no  opportunity  to  help  them. 

The  secretaries  at  this  conference,  more  especially  the 
Chinese  secretaries,  felt  that  as  a  Christian  organisation 
the  Association  should  take  a  very  definite  stand  against 
the  custom.  Hence,  the  decision  was  made  that  “secon¬ 
dary  wives  shall  not  be  given  membership  in  the  Asso¬ 
ciation. ” 

g.  Relation  of  mother.  It  is  a  custom  in  Africa  for 
the  mother  and  friends  of  the  bride  to  escort  her  to  the 
village  of  her  future  husband.  Now  the  church  forbids 
Christian  women  to  take  part  in  any  “send-off”  in  which 
the  bride  is  a  girl  who  has  not  yet  reached  the  age  of 
puberty,  and  a  Christian  woman  is  not  allowed  to  escort 
her  own  daughter  to  a  polygamous  marriage,  as  this 
would  be  interpreted  as  consent  to  the  marriage.  If  a 
Christian  woman  is  a  woman  of  strong  character  she  can 
generally  persuade  her  husband  not  to  marry  her  daugh- 

136 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


ter  to  a  polygamist,  but  if  the  husband  overrules  her 
wishes  and  marries  her  daughter  to  a  headman,  the 
Christian  woman  is  not  blamed  if  she  withholds  her  ap¬ 
proval  by  refusing  to  go  to  the  bridegroom's  village,  to 
partake  of  the  marriage  feast,  and  to  receive  the  presents 
which  the  mother-in-law  generally  gets  at  such  occasions. 

But  what  shall  be  her  relation  to  her  daughter  after 
the  marriage?  There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  among 
the  missionaries.  It  is  the  custom  for  the  mother  to  go 
to  her  daughter  at  the  time  of  the  peanut  harvest  and 
help  her  harvest  them  and  take  a  certain  share  home  to 
her  village;  to  visit  her  daughter  when  she  hears  that 
her  daughter  is  sick  or  during  confinement;  or  to  take 
to  her  son-in-law  a  little  present  of  peanuts,  dried  fish, 
etc.,  as  a  token  of  friendship,  in  return  for  which  he 
gives  her  a  piece  of  cloth,  or  a  kerchief,  or  a  bag  of  salt. 
Which  of  these  things  may  a  Christian  mother  do  after 
her  daughter  has  married  a  polygamist? 

Some  missionaries  say  that  she  must  not  go  anywhere 
near  the  village  where  her  daughter  is,  and  that  when  the 
son-in-law  comes  to  visit  her  husband  she  must  not  cook 
any  food  for  him.  Her  daughter,  however,  may  come 
and  stay  with  her  as  often  and  as  long  as  she  wants  to. 
Other  missionaries  would  not  allow  her  to  make  any  pro¬ 
longed  visits  in  her  son-in-law’s  village,  but  would  allow 
her  to  spend  a  night  with  her  daughter  in  case  a  journey 
took  her  past  her  daughter’s  village  without,  however, 
giving  or  receiving  presents  from  the  son-in-law.  Others 
again  believe  that  if  the  marriage  once  has  taken  place 
against  the  mother’s  will,  she  should  then  be  allowed  to 
befriend  her  son-in-law  and  exchange  presents  and  visit 
him  as  often  as  she  likes. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  are  the  arguments  on  each  side  in  the  various  ques¬ 
tions  raised  in  this  section? 


137 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


2.  In  connection  with  case  d  consider  whether  the  wife  of  a 
drunkard  could  properly  be  employed  to  speak  for  temperance. 
Wherein  does  this  analogy  fail? 

3.  In  each  of  these  instances  try  to  decide  what  you  would 
regard  as  the  proper  attitude  and  procedure.1  Try  also  to  state 
the  principles  underlying  your  decision. 

4.  How  acceptable  or  proper  in  China,  India,  or  Japan  would 
be  the  authoritative  tone  of  the  last  paragraph  preceding  the 
discussion?  In  Africa? 


7.  CHRISTIAN  MARRIAGE  FOR  THOSE  PREVIOUSLY 
MARRIED  UNDER  NON-CHRISTIAN  RITES 

Sometimes  Christians  who  have  been  converted  after 
marriage  by  non-Christian  rites  desire  to  receive  the 
Christian  form  of  marriage.  For  example,  Majola  and 
his  wife,  married  in  accordance  with  native  rites  in  South 
Rhodesia,  and  having  one  child  before  their  conversion, 
lived  together  as  man  and  wife  for  seven  or  eight  years 
after  becoming  Christians,  having  three  more  children  in 
the  meantime.  For  some  unknown  reason  after  all  this 
time  the  idea  struck  them  that  they  wanted  a  Christian 
marriage.  After  thought  on  the  matter  the  missionary 
in  charge  of  the  church  performed  the  ceremony  for 
them,  but  in  private,  with  only  the  required  witnesses 
present. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Remembering  that  this  man  and  woman  had  been  married 
originally  by  the  best  rites  they  knew  at  the  time,  that  a  second 
marriage  might  seem  to  cast  reflection  on  them  as  having  lived 
together  illegally  before  the  Christian  marriage;  and  that  it 
might  seem  to  indicate  that  the  children  born  before  that  mar- 

1  Authoritative  rulings  are  by  no  means  uniform.  The  Conference  of 
Bishops  at  Lambeth  ruled  that  “the  wives  of  polygamists  may  be  admitted 
in  some  cases  to  baptism,  but  that  it  must  be  left  to  the  local  authorities 
of  the  church  to  decide  under  what  circumstances  they  may  be  baptised.” 
On  the  other  hand,  the  question  has  been  up  at  frequent  intervals,  for 
example,  in  the  native  Presbytery  connected  with  the  United  Free  Church 
in  South  Africa.  On  every  occasion  the  decision  of  the  Presbytery  has 
been  against  the  admission  of  such  women.  The  native  members  of 
Presbytery  were  more  decided  in  opposing  than  the  foreign  missionaries. 
Motion  for  admission  came  in  all  cases  from  the  foreign  missionary. 

133 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


riage  were  illegitimate;  what  procedure  would  appear  to  be  best? 

2.  What  objection,  if  any,  should  be  made  to  performing  a 
Christian  marriage  ceremony,  provided  it  takes  place  immediately 
on  conversion  and  entry  into  the  Christian  church? 

3.  The  Transvaal  Missionary  Association,  in  1912,  passed  the 
following  resolution :  “That  natives  or  coloured  people  who  have 
contracted  marriages  according  to  native  custom,  but  who  on 
becoming  Christianised  desire  to  get  such  marriages  celebrated 
and  registered  as  Christian  and  monogamous,  have  such  desire 
granted.”  What  objection,  if  any,  could  there  be  to  such  a 
practice? 

4.  What  would  you  think  of  meeting  this  need  by  arranging 
a  new  service,  not  of  marriage,  but  of  Christian  blessing? 

8.  MIXED  MARRIAGES 

Considerable  difference  of  practice  exists  as  to  the 
extent  to  which  marriages  between  Christians  and  non- 
Christians  are  permitted.1  Permission  for  such  a  mar¬ 
riage  may  be  still  further  complicated  by  the  insistence 
on  the  part  of  the  friends  of  the  non-Christian  partner 
that  there  must  be  a  marriage  by  non-Christian  rites  as 
well. 


a.  “ Calling  in”  a  non-Christian.  A  poor  widow  with 
no  near  relatives  to  care  for  her,  and  with  a  child  to 
support,  “called  in”  a  man  as  a  second  husband.  When 
a  man  is  “called  in,”  he  pays  over  no  money  for  the  wife, 
and  the  woman  does  not  have  to  give  up  the  child  to 
the  relatives  of  her  former  husband.  The  woman  was  a 
member  of  the  church.  The  man  was  a  coolie  in  the  mis¬ 
sion  hospital,  attended  church  but  was  not  a  member  or 
a  professing  Christian.  The  Chinese  church  blamed  the 
woman  for  marrying  a  non-Christian,  decided  she  should 
be  disciplined,  and  suspended  her  for  a  year. 

b.  A  last  resort.  One  of  the  teachers  in  a  mission 
boys’  school  was  a  fine,  young,  well-educated  man;  but 

1  See  World  Mission  Conference,  1910,  Vol.  2,  pp.  105-9. 

139 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


his  mother  had  a  fiendish  temper.  When  he  wished  to 
get  married  he  could  get  no  Christian  girl  to  marry  him, 
because  in  China,  a  bride  is  brought  to  her  husband’s 
home  to  live.  Modern  Christian  girls  are  not  now  mar¬ 
ried  without  their  consent,  and  they  all  feared  the 
mother’s  disposition.  An  elder  brother’s  wife  was  so 
unhappy  and  ill-treated  that  the  situation  was  not  en¬ 
couraging.  As  a  consequence  he  married  a  non-Christian 
girl,  with  no  education  at  all,  whose  consent  was  not 
asked.  However,  her  family  had  money  and  influence 
so  that  the  mother-in-law  was  afraid  to  treat  her  badly. 
She  began  to  attend  the  girls’  school,  learned  to  read  the 
Romanised  colloquial  and  is  quite  promising.  His  church 
disciplined  this  teacher  for  marrying  a  non-Christian 
girl.  If  the  teacher  had  come  to  you  for  advice  before 
his  marriage,  what  would  you  have  said? 

c.  A  conflict  in  judgment.  A  young  Christian  in 
Africa  became  attached  to  a  girl  in  the  district  where  he 
was  teaching.  The  work  was  new  and  only  a  few  men  and 
no  women  had  entered  the  church  during  the  first  few 
years.  After  a  time  the  teacher  wished  to  marry  this 
girl.  He  brought  the  matter  to  the  missionary  who, 
after  considering  the  circumstances,  advised  marriage 
even  though  the  woman  was  a  non-Christian.  She  had 
little  chance  of  becoming  a  Christian  in  the  environment 
where  she  was.  They  married,  but  on  returning  to  his 
local  church  he  found  that  it  had  put  him  under  disci¬ 
pline  for  three  months.  To  be  thus  counted  unworthy 
by  his  brethren  seemed  to  him  to  be  one  of  the  great 
hardships  of  his  life. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  How  far  do  you  feel  there  is  specific  and  sufficient  Biblical 
guidance  with  respect  to  these  matters?  What  other  standard, 
if  any,  can  be  brought  to  bear?  To  what  extent  is  Paul’s  advice 

140 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FAMILY 


to  the  early  churches  binding  for  missionary  practice  to-day? 
For  American  pastors? 

2.  Many  mixed  marriages  result  from  betrothals  in  childhood. 
These  betrothals  are  as  a  rule  considered  as  binding  as  the  actual 
marriage  ceremony,  and  to  break  a  betrothal  in  China,  for  ex¬ 
ample,  would  be  considered  a  great  wrong.  Where  one  party  has 
become  a  Christian  after  betrothal,  should  the  church  give  its 
blessing  on  the  consummation  of  the  marriage?  What  objection, 
if  any,  could  there  be  to  the  church’s  disciplining  all  Christian 
parents  who  deliberately  betroth  their  children  to  non-Christians, 
and  allowing  all  mixed  marriages  where  the  betrothals  took 
place  before  one  of  the  principals  became  a  Christian? 

3.  Should  the  prohibition  of  mixed  marriages  be  absolute? 
Or  should  permission  be  made  dependent  upon  a  strong  proba¬ 
bility  of  the  non-Christian  partner  being  won  to  Christianity  in 
due  time? 

4.  A  missionary  to  India  makes  the  following  statement :  “I 
have  strenuously  maintained  in  Synod  and  other  ecclesiastical 
meetings  that  Christian  ministers  ought  to  be  allowed  to  per¬ 
form  marriage  ceremonies  regardless  of  whether  one  or  both  of 
the  parties  were  members  of  the  church  or  not,  just  as  ministers 
at  home  do.  I  have  always  felt  that  the  right  of  people  to  get 
married  is  an  inalienable  one  and  that  it  is  in  no  wise  conditional 
on  our  faith.”  What  is  your  conception  of  marriage  and  the 
relation  of  ecclesiastical  sanctions  to  it? 

5.  Try  to  formulate  one  or  more  principles  that  would  guide  a 
missionary  in  advising  a  young  church  in  this  matter. 

6.  In  the  light  of  this  chapter  would  you  judge  that  church 
discipline  in  the  West  is  more  or  less  active  than  on  the  mission 
field?  Should  it  be?  Why? 

7.  Jesus  certainly  expected  his  followers  to  rise  above  popular 
standards.  Did  he  place  more  emphasis  on  conduct  or  on  atti¬ 
tudes  underlying  conduct  (Matt.  5:21-48;  Mk.  7 :  1-23)  ?  How 
would  his  teaching  affect  your  attitude  to  the  problems  of  this 
chapter? 

8.  How  have  the  discussions  of  this  chapter  affected  your  idea 
of  the  kind  of  preparation  a  missionary  should  have  before  going 
out  to  other  civilisations?  Of  the  desirability  of  adequate  and 
informed  investigation  as  a  basis  for  some  kind  of  agreement 
among  the  Christians  of  a  given  area  as  to  the  standards  for 
which  they  will  press? 


141 


Chapter  VI 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 

1.  OBSERVANCE  OF  SUNDAY  BY  NON-CHRISTIANS 

a.  Lumber  hauling.  Lumber  was  being  hauled  from 
the  mountains  in  north  China  to  a  mission  compound. 
The  noise  of  unloading  was  a  great  disturbance  on  Sun¬ 
day.  On  inquiry  it  was  found  that  the  trip  required  sev¬ 
eral  days  and  that  the  non-Christian  contractor  had  few 
animals.  It  seemed  impossible  therefore  to  refuse  en¬ 
trance  into  the  compound  or  to  forbid  travel  on  Sunday 
without  causing  much  annoyance,  loss,  and  uncertainty. 
It  was  felt  by  the  missionaries  to  be  more  humanitarian 
to  allow  the  contractor  and  his  muleteers  to  continue 
their  ordinary  occupation  on  Sunday,  than  to  attempt  to 
revolutionise  their  mode  of  life  for  the  few  days  and 
weeks  during  which  they  were  at  work. 

b.  Lathe  work.  In  Baranagore,  India,  is  a  remark¬ 
ably  successful  modified  apprentice  school,  very  largely 
the  result  of  the  faith  and  singleness  of  purpose  of  an 
Indian  Christian  by  the  name  of  Amrito.  When  still  a 
workman  in  a  Calcutta  shop,  the  need  of  industrial 
training  for  eighteen  orphan  boys  in  a  Converts’  Home 
near  by,  enlisted  his  heart  and  will,  and  he  undertook  to 
start  a  school  for  them. 

For  two  years  he  laboured  unceasingly  to  make  the 
school  self-supporting.  Instead  of  the  high  wage  he  had 
been  getting  he  took  only  Rs.  10  per  month  for  two  years 

142 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


while  the  establishment  was  getting  under  way.  Accord¬ 
ing  to  custom,  he  had  already  purchased  jewelry  for  a 
future  bride.  But  this  he  brought  to  the  missionary  ad¬ 
visor,  “for  of  course  I  will  give  up  all  thought  of  mar¬ 
riage  until  the  school  gets  on  its  feet.”  After  several 
years  he  did  marry,  and  for  thirteen  years  he  lived  in  a 
small  mud  house — this  skilled  mechanic  who  could  have 
made  three  or  four  times  as  much  in  the  open  market 
any  day. 

Early  in  his  work  of  developing  the  school  a  Hindu 
friend,  who  worked  in  the  Government  plant  from  which 
Amrito  had  come,  wanted  to  show  his  interest,  and 
offered  to  come  every  Sunday  and  use  the  big  lathe  in 
Amrito’s  shop,  giving  all  the  product  to  the  school. 
Sunday  was  his  only  leisure  time,  for  he  was  work¬ 
ing  in  the  shops  six  days  a  week.  Although  desper¬ 
ately  pressed  for  funds,  Amrito  refused  the  proffered 
help. 


c.  Farm  work.  A  certain  wealthy  Korean  Christian 
comes  to  church  and  tries  to  observe  Sunday  as  a  Chris¬ 
tian.  But  he  has  many  farm  hands  who  are  not  Chris¬ 
tians,  and  who  are  allowed  to  work  on  Sunday. 

d.  Rented  shops.  The  President  of  a  mission  college, 
in  order  to  make  a  profitable  investment  of  the  college 
endowment,  built  a  line  of  shops  in  the  foreign  conces¬ 
sion  of  a  port  city.  Behind  the  shops  were  small  resi¬ 
dences.  Being  in  a  good  location,  both  shops  and  houses 
were  in  demand.  In  course  of  time  requests  for  leases 
were  made  by  those  who  wished  to  use  portions  of  the 
property  for  immoral  purposes.  All  such  requests  were 
refused.  Non-Christian  shop-keepers  wanted  to  keep 
their  shops  open  on  Sunday.  This,  at  first,  was  per¬ 
mitted,  until  complaint  was  made  by  certain  fellow- 
missionaries.  Thereafter  a  clause  was  put  in  each  lease 

143 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


according  to  which  the  renter  agreed  to  close  his  shop  on 
Sunday.  But  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  to  enforce  this, 
for  non-Christian  public  opinion  and  practice  was  against 
this  restriction.  Furthermore,  household  industries  were 
carried  on  in  some  of  the  residences.  In  such  cases  con¬ 
ditions  of  labour  and  Sunday  observance  could  not  be 
checked  without  house  to  house  inspection,  and  no  one 
has  insisted  on  this. 

e.  Contractors.  Missionaries  very  often  have  to  make 
decisions  with  reference  to  Sunday  work  when  non- 
Christian  contractors  are  employed  to  erect  mission  build¬ 
ings.  They  and  their  workmen  have  no  Sunday  tradi¬ 
tion.  Often  the  workmen  are  dependent  on  their  daily 
wage  and  would  feel  aggrieved  if  they  were  deprived  of 
one  day’s  pay  each  week.  As  a  result,  the  contractors 
usually  insist  on  payment  for  Sunday,  even  if  no  work 
is  done.  In  a  particular  case  in  Japan,  where  a  mission 
school  building  was  being  erected,  the  cost  was  increased 
by  $150  by  insisting  on  no  labor  on  Sunday.  The  similar 
increase  for  a  certain  mission  building  in  China  was 
$375  gold.  Very  often  the  workmen  who  have  been 
released  from  their  tools  gamble  the  whole  day  or  get 
drunk  with  consequent  irregularity  on  Monday.  Some 
missionaries  in  these  circumstances  preach  a  sermon 
to  the  workmen,  but  they  find  it  impossible  to  occupy 
all  the  time  of  the  workmen  in  a  wholesome  way.  The 
helpful  use  of  the  workmen’s  time  was  made  the  project 
for  the  students  in  one  mission  college.  Sometimes  the 
contractor  puts  them  on  other  work  for  the  day. 

f.  Church  repairs.  A  Japanese  church,  entirely  self- 
supporting,  made  a  contract  for  repairs  which  went  on 
just  the  same  on  Sunday.  The  services  were  held  tem¬ 
porarily  in  the  chapel,  and  the  church  officers  came  a 
little  early  in  order  to  supervise  the  work.  When  the 

144 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


senior  elder  was  asked  why  work  was  not  discontinued, 
he  said,  “Yes,  it  is  a  pity,  but  working  on  Sunday  is  an 
old  Japanese  custom  which  it  is  very  hard  to  break.” 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  helpful  parallels  can  be  drawn  from  the  Christian 
experience  or  practice  of  the  West? 

2.  Is  the  cost  of  Sunday  observance  by  non-Christians  in 
case  e,  or  the  increased  running  expenses  of  a  mission  institu¬ 
tion  due  to  refusal  to  buy  on  Sunday  (see  case  f,  p.  144)  a  legiti¬ 
mate  use  of  funds  raised  for  missions?  What  considerations 
enter  into  your  judgment? 

3.  What  would  you  say  regarding  the  position  of  one  who 
holds  that  these  problems  are  settled  at  once  by  the  authority  of 
the  fourth  commandment?  1 

4.  Suppose  that  you  did  not  have  the  time,  strength,  or  re¬ 
sources  which  would  enable  you  to  give  instruction  or  otherwise 
profitably  organise  the  spare  time  of  the  workmen  on  Sunday. 
Balance  in  that  case  the  arguments  for  and  against  insisting  on  . 
their  stopping  work  on  mission  property. 

5.  Should  the  non-Christian  workmen,  freed  from  labour,  be 
compelled  to  come  to  instruction  and  Christian  teaching,  if  pro¬ 
vided,  as  a  condition  of  receiving  pay  for  Sunday?  To  begin 
with,  or  always?  Would  compulsion  or  non-compulsion  be  the 
surer  in  the  long  run?  More  in  accord  with  the  principles  of 
democracy?  More  after  the  spirit  of  Christ? 

2.  OBSERVANCE  OF  SUNDAY  BY  CHRISTIANS  2 

Testimony  such  as  the  following  is  not  infrequently 
given  by  missionaries  who  have  faced  what  seemed  like 
insuperable  obstacles.  “The  strict  practices  in  the  early 
years  of  the  mission  have  strongly  impressed  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Chinese  Christians  the  necessity  for  a  due 
observance  of  the  Lord’s  Day.  Even  in  cases  where  such 
observance  seemed  at  first  sight  to  be  extremely  difficult, 

1  Cf.  Hastings,  Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics,  article  “Sunday.” 

2  For  supplementary  reading  see  Gibson,  J.  Campbell,  “Mission  Prob¬ 
lems  and  Mission  Methods  in  South  China,”  pp.  279-82. 

145 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


those  who  were  really  in  earnest  always  found  it  possible 
to  keep  the  sanctity  of  the  day  unbroken.”  In  South 
India  it  has  been  said  that  “Hindu  masters  will  excuse 
their  labourers  from  work  on  Sunday  if  the  principle  is 
once  established  that  this  is  a  part  of  the  Christian  re¬ 
ligion.”  “We  have  had  some  wonderful  examples  in 
Egypt  of  men  giving  up  their  service  or  refusing  to  work 
on  Sunday,  and  being  blessed  wonderfully  in  their  own 
lives.”  “It  is  noticeable  that  those  who  do  sacrifice  to 
observe  the  Sunday  and  close  their  shops  have  a  stronger 
leadership  and  richer  experience.” 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  many  missionaries  who 
do  not  feel  justified  in  insisting  on  an  immediate  and 
sweeping  change.  They  would  admit  that  sacrifice  in 
obedience  to  conscience  unquestionably  brings  inspiration, 
but  question  whether  the  actual  conditions  of  develop¬ 
ment  among  the  people  permit  one  to  set  up  a  particular 
standard  of  Sunday  observance  as  the  occasion  of  the 
sacrifice.  A  few  cases  will  illustrate  the  problem. 

a.  Open  shops.  A  group  of  members  of  a  certain 
church  in  China,  after  long  discussion  on  the  subject  of 
Sunday  observance,  decided  to  make  an  attempt  to  close 
their  shops  on  Sunday.  In  many  parts  of  China  this  is 
a  particularly  difficult  problem  for  Christians.  Competi¬ 
tion  is  keen  and  margins  small.  In  many  cities  few 
among  the  non-Christian  business  men  even  know  about 
the  Christian  attitude  to  Sunday.  To  close  one’s  shop 
on  Sunday  may  mean  not  only  the  loss  in  sales,  but  the 
ill  will  of  business  men  who  often  come  long  distances 
at  considerable  inconvenience  in  order  to  transact  their 
affairs  on  Sunday.  Such  men  would  have  little  patience 
with  the  new  idea  and  would  resent  being  inconvenienced 
by  the  Christian’s  Sunday  observance. 

To  help  meet  this  situation,  this  little  group  of  Chris¬ 
tians  had  signs  painted  explaining  the  owners  were  Chris- 

146 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


tians  and  were  not  doing  business  on  Sunday.  Each  of 
the  Christians  willing  to  make  the  attempt  was  given  one 
of  these  notices  with  the  understanding  that  the  notice 
board  was  to  be  returned  to  the  church  committee  in 
charge  of  the  plan  in  case  the  individual  gave  up  the 
effort. 

Ten  or  twelve  notices  were  accepted  by  shopkeepers. 
Some  kept  them  several  months,  and  some  over  a  year ; 
but  with  few  exceptions  the  notices  were  all  handed  back 
within  two  years.  In  most  of  these  shops  the  owners 
had  given  Sunday  observance  an  honest  trial  and  found 
that  it  meant  either  failure  in  business  or  closing  up  their 
business  before  failure. 

b.  Open  shops.  Mr.  Wang  in  the  Province  of  Szech¬ 
wan,  China,  became  an  enthusiastic  Christian.  He  closed 
his  shop  on  Sundays  for  a  time.  Later  he  found,  in 
order  to  keep  his  employes  and  many  of  his  regular 
customers,  he  would  have  to  allow  one  of  his  managers 
to  take  charge  of  his  shop  for  Sundays  or  suffer  great 
financial  loss.  The  church  came  to  his  assistance  and 
undertook  to  pay  the  employes  their  Sunday  wage  if 
Mr.  Wang  would  bear  the  loss  of  Sunday  business  until 
his  business  was  well  established.  In  this  particular 
case  the  results  were  satisfactory  and  after  a  year’s  time 
Mr.  Wang’s  shop  was  closed  every  Sunday.  He  took 
over  the  responsibility  of  paying  the  employes  for  Sun¬ 
day,  with  the  understanding  that  they  would  attend 
church. 

c.  Worship  in  the  store.  Three  large  department 
stores  in  Canton  are  owned  by  Chinese  Christians.  They 
are  kept  open  on  Sunday.  They  close,  however,  for  a 
Christian  service  held  in  each  store  Sunday  morning, 
and  have  a  Bible  Class  for  their  employes  Sunday  eve¬ 
ning. 


147 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


d.  Field  labourers.  A  group  of  simple,  village,  Chris¬ 
tian  women  who  had  been  outcastes  originally  and  who 
did  field  work  for  Hindu  farmers,  having  been  taught 
that  the  fourth  commandment  was  obligatory  for  them, 
decided  that  they  would  try  not  to  work  on  Sunday. 
They  went  to  their  employer  and  asked  to  be  released, 
saying  it  was  the  Christian  day  of  worship.  He  pointed 
to  the  tobacco  crop  and  how  it  would  spoil  if  attention 
was  not  given  to  it.  So  they  worked.  One  suggested 
that  they  have  a  word  of  prayer  the  next  Sunday  before 
they  started  to  work.  This  they  did  and  kept  up  the 
practice  for  several  Sundays.  One  day  the  farmer  said, 
“You  need  not  work  to-day.  Go  to  your  worship,  and 
here  is  a  rupee  as  a  contribution.”  Release  on  Sunday 
was  obtained  from  four  farmers  for  whom  they  worked 
that  summer.  Successes  such  as  these  lead  many  to 
strengthen  as  far  as  possible  the  rigour  of  Sunday  ob¬ 
servance  in  pioneer  areas. 

e.  Fishing.  At  the  mouth  of  a  river  in  the  Kamerun, 
Africa,  there  is  a  small  species  of  fish,  not  larger  than 
a  small  sardine.  These  appear  in  large  schools  near 
the  beach  and  are  easy  prey  to  the  native  women,  who 
wade  out  two  by  two  with  a  piece  of  cloth  between  them 
which  they  use  as  a  seine.  The  sight  of  one  of  these 
schools  is  always  a  cause  of  great  excitement  and  re¬ 
joicing  among  the  native  women,  who  see  in  it  an  easy 
means  for  providing  their  husbands  with  a  great  delicacy. 
A  Christian  wife  of  an  unbeliever  would  be  considered 
very  negligent  if  she  did  not  join  the  crowd  of  happy 
fishers  on  week  days,  though  on  Sunday  her  husband 
would  not  require  it  from  her.  During  a  time  of  food 
scarcity  a  Christian  woman  heard  the  signal  and,  thinking 
only  of  the  meagre  rations  on  which  her  family  had  to 
live,  went  out  with  the  merry  crowd  on  Sunday  after¬ 
noon  and  gathered  a  nice  mess  of  fish.  Before  the  next 

148 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


communion  service  the  usual  meeting  of  the  church  ses¬ 
sion  was  held  and  the  case  of  this  woman’s  fishing  on 
Sunday  was  brought  up  for  discipline.  The  missionary 
in  charge  was  asked  what  he  thought  of  it.  He  said 
that  he  considered  the  fish  a  godsend,  and  could  not 
blame  the  woman  for  taking  the  food  Providence  had 
sent  for  her  family.  The  elders  were  in  favour  of  de¬ 
barring  the  woman  from  the  Lord’s  table.  They  finally 
decided  to  let  her  go  after  an  exhortation  to  keep  the 
Sabbath  day  holy.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  missionary 
and  the  exceptional  need  of  food,  the  woman  would  have 
been  debarred. 

/.  Marketing.  There  is  a  very  old,  ingrained  custom 
in  the  Philippines  and  parts  of  Latin  America  of  having 
recurring  market  days,  some  of  which  fall  on  Sunday. 
In  some  interior  stations  the  Sunday  market  is  an  im¬ 
portant  event  in  the  community.  More  and  cheaper  prod¬ 
ucts  may  be  had  on  this  day  than  on  any  other.  It  is 
the  time  to  get  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  at  their  best. 
In  fact,  some  things  can  hardly  be  secured  except  on  this 
day.  Certain  missionaries  have  been  known  consistently 
to  do  without  a  given  product  week  after  week,  rather 
than  to  buy  on  Sunday.  A  mission  boarding  school  re¬ 
fused  to  buy  on  that  day,  in  spite  of  the  economic  dis¬ 
advantage  and  loss  in  mission  funds. 

g.  Barber’s  work.  A  Japanese  woman  became  a 
Christian.  She  is  a  women’s  barber,  and  Sunday  is  her 
busy  day.  She  would  like  to  rest  and  observe  the  day, 
but  she  would  lose  customers  and  might  be  run  out  of 
business.  She  solves  the  problem  by  explaining  the  mat¬ 
ter  to  her  customers  and  asking  them  to  come  only  on 
week  days.  In  cases  where  they  do  come  on  Sunday, 
she  arranges  their  hair,  but  gives  the  entire  proceeds  to 
Christian  work. 


149 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


DISCUSSION 

1.  “No  man  should  be  required  or  encouraged  to  work  on 
Sunday  except  for  the  benefit  of  a  large  number.”  Give  illustra¬ 
tions  of  ways  in  which  public  opinion  in  the  West  seems  to 
accept  this  principle.  Ought  it  to  be  applied  to  any  of  the  cases 
of  this  section? 

2.  Usually  a  positive  suggestion  leads  to  more  growth  than  a 
mere  negation.  What  suggestions  of  an  educative  character  can 
you  suggest  for  any  of  these  cases? 

3.  What  would  you  say  to  a  person  who  tried  to  persuade 
you  that  a  missionary  in  practice  must  make  his  start  from  the 
standpoint  of  his  parish  and  its  needs,  rather  than  from  his 
creed  or  his  conception  of  the  Christian  ideal? 

4.  The  World  Missionary  Conference  in  1910  1  enunciated  the 
following  principle : 

“The  question  of  the  due  observance  of  the  Lord’s  Day,  in  so 
far  as  that  observance  is  regarded  under  the  aspect  of  rest  from 
labour,  is  one  which  must  surely  be  considered  in  relation  to  the 
social  conditions  of  each  country  and  circumstances  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  converts.  In  China,  for  example,  while  the  helpfulness  of 
a  sincere  spiritual  observance  of  the  day  is  generally  taught,  and 
those  Christians  who  are  in  an  independent  position  are  ex¬ 
pected,  if  not  required,  to  refrain  from  business  on  that  day, 
it  would  be  unreasonable  to  exercise  general  discipline  on  the 
subject;  especially  in  the  case  of  persons  in  subordinate  positions, 
who  are  not  masters  of  their  time.” 

Such  a  principle  seems  necessary  because  of  the  extreme  dif¬ 
ficulty  of  securing  proper  Sunday  observance  for  Christians 
submerged  in  a  non-Christian  community.  Christians  are  often 
poor,  dependent  on  their  day’s  wages,  and  serve  under  non- 
Christian  employers  who  pay  no  regard  to  Sunday.  Small  traders 
are  involved  in  the  system  of  market  days.  Farmers  feel  that  they 
must  take  their  turn  in  rotation  in  using  the  village  system  of 
irrigation.  Rice  transplantation  has  to  be  done  rapidly  while  the 
field  is  flooded.  Hence  the  cultivators  usually  work  in  groups, 
now  on  one  man’s  land,  now  on  another’s.  If  a  Christian  drops 
out  on  Sunday  this  makes  trouble.  Other  joint  projects  with 
non-Christians,  such  as  crushing  sugar  cane  during  the  sugar 
harvest,  cannot  easily  be  stopped  on  Sunday.  The  Government 
may  be  Muhammadan,  as  in  Egypt,  observing  Friday  as  a  holiday 
instead  of  Sunday,  and  many  Christians  are  employed  in  its 

l  Vol.  II,  “The  Church  on  the  Mission  Field,”  p.  100. 

150 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


service.  In  the  light  of  these  considerations,  how  would  you 
criticise  the  principle  enunciated  above? 

5.  As  a  matter  of  policy,  would  it  be  better  to  stress  a  con¬ 
structive,  positive,  spiritual  conception  of  Sunday  as  a  day  of 
opportunity,  leaving  complete  cessation  from  work  to  be  an 
attainment  as  the  people  gain  in  ability  to  use  the  day  in  higher 
ways?  That  is,  should  one  depend  on  the  slow  processes  of 
education  and  spiritual  enlightenment?  Or  should  one  strike 
right  across  the  economic  and  social  customs  of  the  land  from 
the  very  beginning,  securing  through  discipline  obedience  to  a 
series  of  prohibitions,  even  before  the  spiritual  use  of  the  day  is 
understood  or  while  the  people  are  still  illiterate ;  or  while  the 
available  Christian  literature  is  still  most  inadequate?1  In  other 
words,  what  is  the  place  of  insistence  on  legal  obedience  in  the 
process  of  developing  a  free,  voluntary  observance  of  the  day? 
What  guidance,  if  any,  could  be  obtained  for  this  problem  from 
Matt.  12 : 43-45  ?  The  Orient  is  a  great  place  for  precedents. 
When  a  custom  has  once  been  started  in  one  way,  it  is  often 
hard  to  make  a  change.  How  would  the  tendencies  due  to  habit 
and  precedent  affect  your  policy? 

6.  The  Jews  in  the  Dispension  were  distinguished  from  Gen¬ 
tiles  by  two  outstanding  things — circumcision  and  Sabbath  ob¬ 
servance.  On  the  other  hand,  the  early  Christians  were  distin¬ 
guished  from  other  citizens  of  the  Empire  by  their  moral  lives 
and  their  love  for  one  another.  In  fact,  reference  to  a  religious 
use  of  Sunday  occurs  only  three  times  in  the  New  Testament.2 
Paul  could  by  no  means  be  said  to  be  enthusiastic  over  the  use 
of  fixed  days,3  but  was  tremendously  in  earnest  that  his  fol¬ 
lowers  should  give  up  lying,  fornication,  and  stealing,  and  be 
clothed  upon  by  Christ.  What  would  you  like  the  distinguishing 
features  of  modern  Christians  on  the  mission  field  to  be?  State 
as  clearly  as  possible  for  what  you  would  be  glad  to  see  them 
making  great  sacrifices,  if  necessary. 

3.  THE  PROBLEM  FOR  ILLITERATE  AND  UNCULTURED 

CHRISTIANS 

Where  the  Christians  are  poor,  illiterate,  and  possess 
few  resources  within  themselves,  the  use  of  Sunday  is 

1  One  church,  for  example,  under  the  influence  of  the  missionary,  ex¬ 
communicated  an  elder  for  selling  a  mule  on  Sunday.  Another  church 
excommunicated  a  farmer  for  ploughing  on  Sunday. 

2  Acts  20 :  7 ;  1  Cor.  16:2;  Rev.  1:10. 

3  Rom.  14:5-6;  Gal.  4:9-11;  Col.  2:16-17. 

151 


A 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


especially  perplexing.  There  is  danger  of  Sunday’s  be¬ 
coming  a  hollow  day,  rather  than  a  holy  day. 

a.  Darning  stockings.  A  missionary  in  China  found 
a  woman  darning  stockings  on  Sunday  and  rebuked  her 
for  working  on  that  day.  The  missionary  was  somewhat 
baffled  by  the  humble  reply  of  the  woman,  who  said  that 
she  could  not  read,  had  nothing  to  do,  was  “bored  to  ex¬ 
tinction,”  and  thought  it  better  to  darn  stockings. 

b.  Use  of  leisure.  Somewhat  similar  is  the  case  of  a 
Chinese  farmer  who  comes  regularly  every  Sunday  to 
church  some  miles  from  his  home.  He  cannot  read  or 
write.  Sunday  afternoon  he  returns  to  his  home  and 
goes  out  on  his  farm  to  work.  In  the  absence  of  more 
constructive,  practical  suggestions,  the  option  before  this 
man  is  to  go  home  and  sit  idle,  to  chat  with  his  non- 
Christian  fellow  villagers,  which  could  hardly  help  him 
in  his  Christian  life  and  which  would  likely  lead  to  gam¬ 
bling,  or  to  continue  his  practice  of  working. 

c.  Church  erection.  John  Hyde  de  Forest,  a  greatly 
honoured  and  respected  missionary  to  Japan,  describing 
the  efforts  of  a  village  group  to  build  their  own  church,1 
wrote :  “The  Christians  are  going  to  spend  Sundays  in 
the  woods  cutting  down  trees  and  floating  the  timber 
down  the  river  to  the  new  church !  It’s  the  Lord’s 
house,  to  be  built  by  labour  on  the  Lord’s  day  !  I  thought 
it  a  fine  idea  of  the  uncultured  Christians  to  consecrate 
their  time  and  money  this  way.” 

DISCUSSION 

1.  In  such  cases  should  judgment  be  based  on  some  absolute 
standard?  Or  should  it  be  a  relative' matter — whether  what  the 
people  will  actually  be  doing  under  the  new  Sunday  ideals  will 

1  De  Forest,  Charlotte  B.,  “The  Evolution  of  a  Missionary,”  p.  215. 

152 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


be  better  or  worse  than  the  old  way  of  spending  the  day  in 
work?  In  other  words,  is  a  correct  relative  judgment  sufficient 
basis  for  decision?  Show  the  bearing  of  your  answer  in  a  par¬ 
ticular  case. 

2.  What  practical  suggestions  can  you  give  as  to  how  such 
people  could  participate,  individually  or  collectively,  in  efforts  for 
the  social,  moral  or  spiritual  betterment  of  their  neighbourhoods 
or  communities?  What  relation  should  there  be  between  the 
provision  of  leadership  in  such  activities  and  instruction  re¬ 
garding  the  duty  of  cessation  from  labour? 

3.  To  what  extent  is  the  possibility  of  our  high,  evangelical 
standard  of  Sunday  observance  dependent  upon  our  having  a 
high  educational  and  economic  standard? 


4.  GAMES  ON  SUNDAY 

a.  Off  the  campus.  The  final  baseball  game  of  a 
national  championship  series  in  Japan  is  to  be  held  on 
Sunday.  Preliminary  victories  make  the  club  of  a  Chris¬ 
tian  school  one  of  the  two  between  whom  the  contest 
should  occur.  The  authorities  of  the  school  find  it  diffi¬ 
cult  to  know  what  attitude  to  take.  The  question  is 
affected  by  the  fact  that  most  of  the  players  are  not 
living  in  the  dormitories,  but  are  day  pupils,  and  so  not 
under  close  supervision.  Some  want  the  club  to  play 
under  an  assumed  name.  But  to  play  under  the  school 
name  is  the  only  way  it  can  contend,  since  it  was  thus 
that  the  preliminary  victories  were  won.  Others  hold 
that  the  club  should  have  been  forbidden  to  play  in  the 
earlier  games,  anticipating  the  possibility  of  the  rise  of 
this  problem. 

b.  On  the  campus.  The  students  in  a  certain  mission 
college  in  China  are  permitted  to  play  ball  games  on  their 
own  grounds  on  Sunday. 

c.  Combating  bull  fights.  Bull  fighting  is  still  very 
popular  in  Mexico  and  Peru.  It  is  so  strongly  entrenched 

153 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


that  many  missionaries  do  not  try  to  oppose  it,  feeling 
that  their  opposition  would  do  little  good  and  that  they 
have  more  urgent  things  to  do.  One  missionary  in  Peru, 
however,  assisted  by  contributions  from  an  American 
friend,  began  a  campaign  against  the  custom  in  his  Prov¬ 
ince.  Hand  bills  and  open  letters  in  the  newspapers 
were  used  and,  as  a  climax,  he  rented  a  theatre  and  put 
on  a  free,  illustrated  lecture  at  the  same  hour  as  the  bull 
fight.  This  involved  using  the  theatre  and  machine  on 
Sunday.  As  a  result  of  the  campaign  a  conscience  on 
the  subject  is  being  aroused,  and  the  commercial  promo¬ 
tion  of  fights  is  becoming  less  profitable.  When  the  city 
council’s  committee  on  patriotic  celebrations  were  arrang¬ 
ing  for  the  annual  official  bull  fight,  they  acknowledged 
that  such  a  fight  is  not  an  ideal  spectacle,  but  they  did 
not  know  what  else  to  put  on  to  amuse  the  people. 

d.  Cock  fighting.  In  the  Philippines  cock  fighting  is 
the  favourite  sport.  It  is  legal  only  on  Sunday.  To  lead 
the  people  away  from  this  sport,  baseball  was  introduced, 
and  this  has  succeeded  in  drawing  a  great  many  people 
away  from  the  cock  pits. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  In  what  way,  if  any,  does  case  b  differ  in  principle  from 
case  a? 

2.  What  is  your  judgment  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  following 
principles  of  Sunday  observance  ?  1 

(a)  “Forms  of  outdoor  recreation  which  contribute  to  bodily 
vigour,  which  are  truly  recreative,  and  which  can  be  carried  on 
in  a  way  that  does  not  disturb  others  may  well  be  encouraged  by 
the  association,  such,  for  example,  as  hikes  into  the  country,  and 
in  some  countries  tennis  and  outdoor  handball.  The  association 
should  not  participate  in  nor  encourage  popular  athletic  meets 
where  there  are  large  numbers  of  spectators,  nor  in  any  case 
competitive  games  that  are  commercialised  or  professionalised, 

1  Extracts  from  a  report  on  Sunday  observance  presented  at  a  meeting 
of  the  various  National  Secretaries  from  the  foreign  fields,  held  by  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  New  York  in  1919. 

154 


SUNDAY  OBSERVANCE 


nor  should  it  allow  its  members  to  enter  such  competitive  games 
as  an  association  group  nor  as  individuals  representing  the  asso¬ 
ciation. 

(b)  “Activities  should  be  stimulated  in  the  building;  such  as 
reading  circles,  addresses,  good  music,  groups  for  the  study  of 
social  and  religious  problems,  social  meetings,  strangers’  teas, 
fathers’  and  sons’  meetings,  groups  for  Bible  study,  committee 
meetings,  and  meetings  for  fellowship  and  prayer. 

(c)  “Service  that  is  not  so  feasible  on  other  days  should  be 
carried  on ;  for  example,  visits  by  groups  to  hospitals,  prisons, 
immigrant  hotels,  institutions  for  the  blind  and  deaf  and  dumb, 
orphanages,  etc. ;  also  investigation  of  the  individual  or  collective 
participation  in  efforts  for  social,  moral  or  spiritual  betterment 
in  the  respective  neighbourhoods  or  in  the  community  as  a  whole, 
with  a  view  to  interesting  the  members  in  humanitarian  under¬ 
takings  and  stimulating  them  to  take  part  in  them.” 

5.  THE  TIME  LIMITS  FOR  SUNDAY 

In  Egypt  and  some  parts  of  the  Near  East,  the  day 
begins  with  sundown.  Sunday,  therefore,  is  considered 
as  beginning  Saturday  evening,  and  many  evangelical 
churches  keep  Sunday  from  sunset  to  sunset.  Although 
the  missionary  may  hold  to  his  Western  ideas  and  con¬ 
duct  a  service  in  English  on  Sunday  evening,  he  usually 
also  attends  the  services  in  the  native  church,  when  these 
are  held  on  Saturday  evening  as  in  the  larger  cities  of 
Egypt.  Often,  however,  the  Egyptians  celebrate  their 
wedding  ceremonies  on  Sunday  night.  To  these,  mis¬ 
sionaries  are  frequently  invited  and  they  may  wish  to 
attend. 


DISCUSSION 

1.  Should  the  missionaries  adhere  to  the  Eastern  or  Western 
reckoning  of  the  day?  Or  to  both?  Or  would  the  proposed 
attendance  at  weddings  be  admissable  in  either  case? 

2.  In  a  Muhammadan  country,  where  the  holy  day  is  Friday, 
what  reasons  would  you  give  for  refusing  to  utilise  this  day  as 
the  Christian  day  of  rest  and  worship? 

3.  After  reviewing  the  problems  and  discussions  thus  far,  try 
to  draft  a  set  of  principles,  as  clear  and  complete  as  possible, 

1 55 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


which  could  guide  one  in  the  ideal  use  of  Sunday.1  In  what 
way,  if  any,  would  the  principles  for  children  differ  from  those 
for  adults?  For  Western  Christians,  from  those  for  a  young 
church  on  the  mission  field? 

4.  What  effect  has  the  discussion  of  this  chapter  had  on  your 
idea  of  the  kind  of  a  missionary  that  should  be  sent  abroad? 

1  Consult  Luke  13:10-17;  14:1-6;  Mk.  1:21-34;  2:23-28;  3:1-6;  and 
Hastings,  “Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics,”  Vol.  12,  p.  110. 


I 


156 


Chapter  VII 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 

1.  THE  TIME  AND  CONDITIONS  OF  BAPTISM 

a.  Parents  opposing.  A  Japanese  twenty-two  years 
old,  is  studying  in  a  medical  school.  He  has  become  a 
Christian  at  heart  and  thinks  he  should  be  baptised.  His 
parents,  however,  will  not  consent  and  there  is  danger 
that  he  will  be  disinherited  if  he  persists.  This  would 
practically  end  his  medical  course. 

b.  Facing  disinheritance.  A  Hindu  boy  aged  nine¬ 
teen  has  attended  a  mission  school  for  several  years  and 
showed  deep  interest  in  the  life  and  teachings  of  Christ. 
He  has  gained  a  good  knowledge  and  appreciation  of  the 
Bible  and  is  trying  to  apply  Christian  teachings  to  his 
own  life.  He  is  now  a  freshman  in  a  mission  college. 
He  has  asked  the  misionary  in  charge  to  baptise  him. 
The  boy’s  father  is  a  prominent  and  proud  Hindu,  and 
his  mother  is  very  conservative.  The  boy  is  betrothed 
to  a  girl  whose  father  has  promised  a  large  dowry  that 
would  be  useful  in  paying  off  the  family  debts.  If  he 
became  a  baptised  Christian,  his  father  would  not  only 
disinherit  him  but  also  probably  try  to  poison  him.  The 
mission  could  not  guarantee  the  young  man  support  or 
employment. 

c.  Conditions  of  baptism.  A  young  woman  had  been 
listening  to  the  words  of  a  Bible-woman,  and  to  her 
neighbour  who  was  a  church  member.  Her  mother-in- 

157 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


law  was  much  displeased  at  her  for  going  so  often  to 
listen.  When  her  baby  boy  died,  the  husband  and 
mother-in-law  declared  it  her  just  punishment  for  such 
foolishness.  It  was  at  such  a  time  of  sorrow  and  per¬ 
secution  that  this  young  woman  learned  to  pray  and 
got  great  peace  and  comfort  from  her  new-found  faith. 
She  applied  for  membership,  but  was  refused,  because 
she  did  not  know  the  commandments,  the  Apostles’  Creed 
and  the  life  of  Christ. 

d.  Mixed  motives.  In  a  paper  on  the  mass  movement 
toward  Christianity  in  the  Punjab  1  the  following  com¬ 
monly  accepted  judgment  occurs: 

“It  was  not  solely  and  purely  a  spiritual  movement. 
Worldly  motives  did  operate.  The  low  castes  saw  that 
by  becoming  Christians  they  would  be  raised  in  the  social 
scale.  They  saw  that  their  brothers  who  had  become 
Christians  received  education  for  their  children  and  that 
their  houses  were  better  in  every  way.  They  saw  that 
they  would  have  the  missionary  to  help  them  in  their 
differences  with  their  tyrannical  masters.  They  were  not 
slow  to  recognise  that  with  the  aid  of  the  missionary  they 
would  be  more  likely  to  get  their  wages  from  employers 
who  often  dismissed  them  without  remuneration.  But 
to  say  it  was  wholly  and  solely  an  ethnic  movement 
would  be  as  wide  of  the  truth  as  to  say  it  was  fully  a 
spiritual  movement.” 

e.  What  is  essential.  A  simple  old  woman  who  lived 
in  one  of  the  hundreds  of  Indian  villages  had  never  had 
any  idea  of  God  except  what  she  had  gained  from  the 
idolatrous  teachings  and  practices  which  were  all  about 
her.  She  had  never  committed  anything  to  memory  in 
all  her  life,  and  the  one  thought  of  her  life  was  to  work 
hours  enough  to  keep  from  starvation.  A  Christian 

l  Report  of  the  Mussurree  Conference,  1909,  p.  56. 

158 


\ 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 

catechist  had  come  to  her  village  and  at  night  when  the 
work  of  the  day  was  over  had  taught  the  people  the 
Lord’s  Prayer.  She  had  listened  to  the  explanations  and 
after  much  effort  she  had  committed  to  memory  the  first 
clause,  “Ai  hamare  Bap  jo  asman  per  hai”  (Our  Father 
who  art  in  heaven).  It  had  opened  to  her  an  entirely 
new  world  of  thought  and  imagination  and  hope,  and 
had  satisfied  her  hungry  heart.  She  had  heard  the  ex¬ 
planations,  and  now,  instead  of  going  to  a  dead  idol, 
she  prayed  to  a  living,  loving  God,  who  was  her  Father. 
What  more  did  she  want?  It  had  satisfied  all  her  long¬ 
ings  for  this  life  and  the  next,  and  in  the  newness  and 
freshness  of  these  great  and  wonderful  truths  the  poor 
old  soul  was  having  in  her  humble  village  a  heaven  on 
earth.  “Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven”  was  all  she  could 
recite  before  the  catechist,  but  when  he  pressed  her  to 
go  on  and  learn  the  next  clause,  “Hallowed  be  thy  name,” 
she  took  no  interest.  When  pressed  hard,  out  of  the 
simplicity  of  her  new  faith  and  the  joy  of  her  heart, 
she  answered,  “Kya  zarurat  hai?”,  that  is,  “What  is  the 
necessity  ?  What  more  do  I  want  ?”  1 

f.  Intellectual  and  spiritual  qualifications.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  is  a  statement  from  India  concerning  the  condi¬ 
tions  for  baptism : 

“Before  we  receive  by  baptism  one  of  these  groups,  we 
require  that  certain  conditions  be  met.  All  heathen 
shrines  in  the  mohalla,  or  caste  ward,  have  to  be  torn 
down  by  the  people  themselves  and  every  symbol  of 
idolatry  destroyed  before  we  baptise  any  one.  Every 
chutia — tuft  of  hair  left  long  on  the  crown  of  the  head 
by  means  of  which  the  soul  is  believed  to  be  drawn  from 
the  body  after  death,  and  which  is  an  ever  present  symbol 
of  Hinduism — is  cut  off,  and  every  charm  and  every 
symbol  of  idolatrous  worship  on  the  necks  and  arms  of 


l  Adapted  from  Warne,  Frank  W.,  “India’s  Mass  Movement,”  p.  10. 

159 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


the  women  and  children  are  removed  before  baptism. 
The  chaudhries  are  required  to  promise  for  the  mohalls, 
and  each  individual  for  himself,  that  heathen  shrines  will 
not  be  rebuilt  in  their  mohalla,  and  that  there  will  be  in 
it  no  more  heathen  rites  of  worship.  Each  individual  is 
definitely  asked  before  receiving  baptism,  ‘Do  you  cheer¬ 
fully  accept  baptism  and  promise  to  obey  and  receive 
Jesus  Christ  as  your  Saviour  ?’  Each  one  professes  to 
have  accepted  Jesus  Christ  as  his  personal  Saviour.  Each 
individual  is  asked,  ‘Are  you  willing  to  suffer  persecu¬ 
tion?’  And  all  clearly  understand  that  persecution  is  in¬ 
evitable.  They  answer,  ‘Yes,  I  will  endure  persecution.’ 
Each  one  is  asked,  ‘Will  you  give  to  the  support  of  the 
work  of  sending  the  gospel  to  others?’,  and  an  affirma¬ 
tive  answer  is  given.  No  one  is  baptised  who  has  more 
than  one  wife. 

“The  amount  which  they  are  required  to  know  con¬ 
cerning  Christian  teaching  before  baptism  varies.  To 
have  simple  villagers  memorise  before  baptism  the  Ten 
Commandments,  the  Lord’s  Prayer,  and  the  Apostles’ 
Creed,  we  have  always  had  as  an  ideal,  but  we  have 
found  it  very  difficult  to  attain.  Yet  we  hold  to  the  idea 
of  their  being  acquainted  with  that  teaching  and  also 
having  a  knowledge  of  the  story  of  Christ’s  life,  with 
particular  reference  to  His  incarnation,  crucifixion,  resur¬ 
rection,  and  ascension,  and  the  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  when  they  know  enough  about  these  things 
to  be  prepared  to  comply  with  the  conditions,  we  con¬ 
sider  them  suitable  candidates  for  baptism.”  1 

DISCUSSION  2 

1.  With  reference  to  cases  a  and  b,  how  would  you  criticise 
the  following  possible  procedures:  (a)  Refraining  from  reporting 
to  the  parents  the  determination  to  be  a  Christian,  and  putting 
off  baptism  until  the  completion  of  one’s  educational  course  is 
assured?  (b)  Frankly  telling  one’s  parents  that  the  inward 

l  “India’s  Mass  Movements” — a  pamphlet  by  Bishop  Frank  K.  Warne, 
pp.  9-10. 

2Assistance  will  be  found  in  the  World’s  Missionary  Conference,  1910, 
Vol.  2,  pp.  42-9. 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 


change  they  dreaded  had  already  taken  place;  but  that — out  of 
deference  to  them,  baptism  or  the  outward  symbol  of  the  change 
would  be  postponed,  if  they  so  insisted,  (c)  Secret  baptism  at 
once.  (d)  Public  baptism  after  having  duly  informed  the 
parents. 

2.  With  reference  to  case  b,  where  should  the  baptism  be  ad¬ 
ministered?  In  his  village,  at  the  school,  at  the  college,  or  some 
place  where  he  will  not  be  known?  Should  the  boy  be  protected 
from  kidnapping  by  special  measures?  Afterward  where  should 
the  boy  live?  Suppose  as  a  result  of  the  baptism  his  father 
disinherits  him,  what  can  be  said  for  and  against  assistance  being 
given  to  him  by  the  mission  or  missionaries  in  order  to  enable 
him  to  continue  his  college  course?  Would  the  question  be  af¬ 
fected  by  the  nature  of  the  assistance  offered?  How  so? 

3.  What  costs  comparable  to  those  suggested  in  a  and  b  would 
a  Christian  in  the  West  have  to  pay  who  seriously  started  out  to 
live  by  Jesus’  standards?  What  is  the  place  of  cost  in  disciple- 
ship  (Mk.  8:27;  9:50)? 

4.  A  particular  course  of  action  may  present  the  most  educa¬ 
tive  moral  issue  to  the  candidate.  Should  this  be  determinative 
in  the  decision?  If  not,  what  other  factors  may  properly  be 
considered  in  such  a  decision? 

5.  Should  baptism  be  considered  the  beginning  or  the  end  of 
the  process  of  acquiring  Christian  attitudes  and  conceptions? 
If  neither  extreme,  toward  which  would  you  be  inclined  to 
lean? 

6.  In  examining  a  candidate  for  baptism  one  may  emphasise 
the  acceptance  of  ideas  and  intellectual  formulations  of  belief. 
Or  one  may  emphasise  evidence  of  love  and  fellowship,  of  good 
will  toward  fellowmen,  the  organisation  of  right  purposes,  the 
desire  to  witness  to  the  new  way,  or  other  signs  of  a  new  life. 
Toward  which  of  these  extremes  would  you  be  inclined  to 
lean  (a)  in  the  case  of  simple  folk  with  undisciplined  memories? 
(b)  in  the  case  of  the  average,  intelligent  person? 

7.  In  dealing  with  a  backward  people,  are  we  at  liberty,  with 
the  Christian  standards  given  us  in  the  Gospels,  to  accept  com¬ 
paratively  low  forms  of  motive  in  the  first  instance?  Do  mo¬ 
tives  that  appear  low  to  us,  appear  equally  low  to  them? 

8.  When  a  movement  toward  Christianity  has  once  begun 
through  the  definitely  religious  conversion  of  two  or  three  quite 
exceptional  men,  it  is  often  possible  to  go  on  and  baptise  a 
whole  group  who  have  little  religious  conviction,  but  who  are  will¬ 
ing  to  follow  the  example  of  their  leaders.  What  can  be  said 

161 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


for  and  against  accepting  such?  In  other  words,  if  the  people 
in  a  mass  movement  area  have  been  used  to  acting  as  a  group, 
what  can  be  said  for  and  against  not  requiring  each  of  the 
group  to  come  up  to  the  standard  before  being  baptised? 

9.  Compare  the  questions  asked  of  an  adult  receiving  baptism 
in  your  church  with  the  conditions  in  f.  Has  the  tendency  of 
missions  been  to  set  higher  or  lower  standards  of  admission  than 
in  a  Western  church?  Why? 

2.  HARBOURING  AND  ASSISTING  RUNAWAYS 

In  some  countries  missionaries  are  faced  with  very 
difficult  situations  arising  out  of  the  desire  of  young 
people  to  be  baptised  against  the  will  of  their  parents 
or  other  guardian.  A  missionary  is  charged  with  kid¬ 
napping,  unless  the  person  in  question  is  over  age;  and 
although  it  may  be  known  that  this  is  the  case,  it  may 
not  be  possible  to  prove  it  where  non-Christian  public 
opinion  is  aroused  and  where  false  witnesses  can  be  bribed 
for  a  few  cents.  It  is  a  serious  matter  to  assist  a  Hindu 
woman,  for  example,  to  escape  from  her  husband.  Ac¬ 
cording  to  English  law,  a  girl  who  is  of  age  cannot  be 
forced  to  marry  and  live  with  a  man  against  her  will. 
But  is  this  Hindu  law,  and  can  it  be  proved  that  a  given 
woman  married  against  her  will?  Grant  that  it  is  prac¬ 
tically  impossible  for  any  one  to  live  a  consistent  Chris¬ 
tian  life  in  a  Hindu  home,  yet  can  you  encourage  a  girl 
to  leave  her  own  people?  How  can  you  keep  a  young 
man  or  woman  safe  when  once  flight  has  become  known ; 
and  where  will  you  get  money  to  carry  on  a  possible 
lawsuit?  Yet  how  can  you  send  a  girl  back  to  a  lifetime 
of  suffering  and  perhaps  spiritual  death? 

The  various  possible  complications  may  be  suggested 
from  an  actual  case  of  a  young  wife,  Lakshmi,  in  north¬ 
ern  India,  who  in  1915  ran  away  from  her  Hindu  hus¬ 
band  to  whom  she  had  been'  married  against  her  will. 
Her  purpose  was  to  identify  herself  with  Christians,  and 

162 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 


so  she  was  baptised  the  next  day  after  her  arrival  at 
the  mission  compound.  The  English  ladies  to  whom  the 
girl  first  applied  did  not  feel  it  would  be  safe  to  keep 
the  girl  with  them  as  there  were  no  other  Indian  girls 
or  women  in  their  household,  and  they  themselves  were 
out  very  much  because  of  their  work.  She  was  therefore 
transferred  to  the  care  of  an  American  lady  in  charge 
of  a  boarding  school  with  Indian  women  living  constantly 
on  the  grounds.  A  list  of  her  jewelry — an  Indian 
woman’s  insurance — was  taken,  for  it  was  valuable,  and 
she  had  brought  it  all.  This  was  sent  to  the  police  lest 
either  the  missionary  or  the  girl  be  arrested  on  the  charge 
of  stealing  the  jewelry.  At  the  suggestion  of  the  mis¬ 
sionary  the  girl  then  wrote  to  her  husband  telling  him 
what  she  had  done  and  where  she  was,  that  he  might 
come  and  see  her,  but  that  she  would  not  go  back  with 
him. 

The  family  and  neighbours  were  in  a  great  uproar 
when  they  heard  what  had  happened.  The  next  day 
a  crowd  of  relatives  came  to  see  her  and  used  every 
inducement — persuasion,  bribes,  threats — to  get  her  to 
go  back  with  them.  The  missionary  was  careful  to  say 
that  she  was  a  free  agent  and  could  go  if  she  wished. 
But  she  knew  her  life  would  not  be  safe  if  she  did  go 
back,  for  many  Hindu  families  consider  death  much  less 
of  a  disaster  than  to  have  one  of  their  number  become 
a  Christian.  She  would  very  likely  have  her  nose  cut 
off  as  the  very  least  penalty,  if  she  continued  to  read  her 
Bible  and  pray. 

The  husband  then  brought  suit  in  Civil  Court  to  have 
the  girl  returned  to  his  custody.  The  case  had  stirred 
the  whole  city  and  every  Hindu  man  was  on  the  side 
of  the  husband.  The  case  was  put  under  a  Hindu  judge, 
and  false  witnesses  were  secured.  An  attempt  to  kidnap 
the  girl  on  her  way  from  the  mission  house  to  the  court¬ 
room  was  foiled  by  an  appeal  for  police  protection.  She 

163 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


went  in  a  closed  carriage,  with  horses  galloping,  and 
with  two  policemen  as  outriders.  The  case  dragged  on 
for  sixteen  months.  The  girl,  under  bond,  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  missionary,  who  had  to  produce  her  in 
court  whenever  ordered  to  do  so.  During  this  time  she 
dared  not  go  out  of  the  house  alone,  and  at  night  she 
slept  beside  the  missionary  in  order  to  avoid  the  possi¬ 
bility  of  kidnapping.  Realising  that  she  was  putting  her 
missionary  friends  to  great  trouble,  even  endangering 
them,  she  at  one  time  ran  away  to  an  Indian  friend’s 
house  in  a  neighbouring  city.  But  as  the  missionaries 
were  responsible  for  her,  she  had  to  be  sought  out,  and 
was  returned  under  the  guise  of  a  European. 

The  case  was  decided  in  the  husband’s  favour;  ap¬ 
pealed,  and  again  decided  against  the  girl.  Again  the 
last  possible  appeal  was  made.  Lakshmi  decided  that,  if 
the  judgment  went  against  her,  she  would  refuse  to  obey 
the  court.  The  maximum  imprisonment  for  contempt  of 
court  was  six  months.  The  decree  was  against  her;  she 
refused  to  obey,  but  was  sentenced  to  only  six  weeks’  im¬ 
prisonment  by  the  Hindu  judge  who  sympathised  with 
her. 

During  the  term  attempts  were  made  to  make  Lakshmi 
sign  certain  papers.  This  failing,  an  attempt  was  made 
to  bribe  the  jailer.  Through  an  old  Muhammadan 
woman,  a  friend  of  the  wife  of  the  jailer,  and  also  a 
friend  of  the  mission,  because  forty  years  before  a  school 
had  been  started  in  her  house,  the  missionary  learned 
of  a  plot  to  re-arrest  Lakshmi  immediately  on  her  release, 
taking  her  to  court,  and  with  no  one  ready  to  defend 
her,  the  husband  might  secure  possession.  This  required 
the  missionaries  to  be  on  the  alert,  get  a  British  official 
to  have  the  exact  hour  of  release  fixed,  secure  a  lawyer, 
and  be  present  at  the  appointed  time. 

She  was  re-arrested  as  she  came  out  of  the  jail  gate 
and  taken  immediately  to  court.  Again  she  was  given, 

164 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 

under  bail,  to  the  missionaries  and  taken  under  police 
escort  to  their  home.  Again  the  case  dragged  on  for 
weary  months  with  appeal  and  re-appeal.  On  one  occa¬ 
sion  the  husband  tried  to  kidnap  the  girl  at  a  railway 
station  and  was  thwarted  only  by  the  presence  of  mind 
and  bravery  of  the  lady  in  charge.  After  this  a  case 
was  brought  against  the  husband  for  assault,  which  was 
won;  and  at  last,  after  three  years,  the  husband  gave  up 
the  attempt  to  gain  possession  of  his  wife.  Lakshmi  is 
now  a  happy  and  useful  Christian  woman.  But  the  vari¬ 
ous  attempts  to  help  her  cost  1,000  rupees.  This  was  not 
taken  from  mission  funds  nor  from  the  sale  of  her 
jewels.  It  was  privately  subscribed  by  interested  mis¬ 
sionaries. 

With  the  memory  of  this  case  in  mind,  face  a  definite 
situation — also  from  life — requiring  decision.  “Can  you 
tell  me  where  the  mission  compound  is  and  how  to  get 
there?”  This  question  came  in  trembling  tones  from  a 
young  Hindu  girl  one  Sunday  morning  a  few  years  ago 
in  the  Punjab.  It  was  dawn,  when  the  streets  were 
fairly  deserted  and  the  city  had  not  yet  awakened  to 
the  activities  of  the  day.  She  had  come  from  a  Hindu 
home  of  high  caste.  While  Hindu  girls  are  not  kept 
in  such  strict  seclusion  as  are  Muhammadan  girls  of  good 
families,  yet  in  that  part  of  India  the  Muhammadan  ele¬ 
ment  is  so  strong  that  the  Hindus  have  been  much  in¬ 
fluenced  in  this  matter.  So  the  young  girl  had  never  in 
her  life  before  been  on  the  streets  alone.  She,  therefore, 
came  with  fear  and  trembling  seeking  her  way  to  the 
mission  compound. 

It  had  taken  her  days  to  bring  her  courage  to  the 
point  of  stealing  away  to  an  unknown  future  holding  pos¬ 
sible  peril,  sorrow,  and  suffering,  for  she  was  coming 
to  seek  baptism  with  all  that  means  of  renunciation  and 
pain  to  a  high  caste  Hindu.  She  was  an  orphan,  and 
had  left  her  aunt  and  older  brother  behind. 

165 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


On  finding  the  principal  of  the  mission  school  which 
she  had  been  attending,  she  unburdened  her  heart.  “Miss 
Sahiba,  I  came  by  myself  and  no  one  knows  it.  I  had 
to  come.  I  want  to  be  a  Christian  and  I  want  to  be 
baptised.  They  will  not  let  me  be  a  Christian  at  home. 
When  I  told  them  that  I  wanted  to  become  a  Christian 
they  said  that  they  would  be  terribly  disgraced  and  that 
they  would  rather  see  me  dead  than  to  have  me  become 
a  Christian,  and  you  know  what  they  did  to  me,  how 
they  married  me  against  my  will  to  a  man  old  enough 
to  be  my  father,  a  horrid  man,  the  very  sight  of  whom 
turned  me  sick  with  fear  and  trembling.  I  have  told 
you  how  they  kept  me  such  a  close  prisoner  that  I  could 
not  get  any  word  to  you.  I  tried  to  bribe  one  of  the 
children  to  carry  a  note  to  the  school,  but  he  was  found 
out  and  punished.  When  the  day  of  the  wedding  came 
I  fought  and  kicked  and  screamed,  but  I  was  powerless. 
They  were  too  strong  for  me  and  I  was  carried  away 
forcibly.  I  tried  to  call  for  help  at  the  railway  station, 
but  they  shut  my  mouth  and  besides  who  would  listen 
to  a  poor  Hindu  girl  whose  men  folk  were  with  her? 
No  one  will  interfere  in  a  family  quarrel  and  who  cares 
what  happens  to  a  woman?  The  man  was  very  cruel  to 
me  and  I  fought  against  going  to  his  apartments  and 
finally  my  mother-in-law  took  pity  on  me  and  let  me 
stay  with  her.  You  know  how  I  wrote  to  my  brother 
and  told  him  how  unhappy  I  was  and  how  cruel  the 
man  was,  and  now  he  finally  came  and  brought  me  home 
and  let  me  go  back  to  school  again. 

“Miss  Sahiba,  I  can  never  go  back  to  that  man  again ! 
I  want  to  be  a  Christian  and  he  will  never  let  me  be 
one.  He  will  make  me  perform  all  the  Hindu  rites  and 
customs  which  I  know  to  be  sinful,  and  he  will  not  let 
me  read  my  Bible  or  worship  my  Saviour.  And,  oh, 
Miss  Sahiba,  he  is  so  cruel,  so  hard,  and  I  am  so  afraid 
of  him.  Save  me,  oh,  save  me  from  him!  I  will  do 

166 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 


anything  you  say  if  you  will  only  let  me  stay  with  you 
and  will  protect  me  from  that  man.” 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Analyse  the  various  causes  which  make  possible  the  state¬ 
ment:  “Many  Hindu  families  consider  death  much  less  of  a 
disaster  than  to  have  one  of  their  number  become  a  Christian.” 

2.  The  majority  of  missionaries  would  advise  a  wife  to  remain 
with  her  non-Christian  husband.  It  is  to  be  remembered,  how¬ 
ever,  that  in  this  case  the  girl  was  married  against  her  will,  and 
in  order  to  prevent  her  becoming  a  Christian.  Realising  that  the 
young  lady  in  charge  knew  the  girl,  and  thoroughly  believed  her 
story,  what  would  you  advise  her  to  do? 

3.  Balance  the  arguments  for  and  against  giving  the  girl  refuge 
and  baptism  ( e.g loss  in  time  for  general  missionary  work  in¬ 
volved,  possibility  of  arousing  enmity,  question  whether  high- 
caste  Hindus  can  ever  be  won  except  one  at  a  time  and  with 
the  utmost  effort  and  sacrifice,  the  probability  that  regular  and 
frequent  visits  to  her  in  a  Hindu  home  would  be  impossible,  etc.). 

3.  BAPTISM  BY  A  WOMAN  MISSIONARY 

In  a  high  caste  Hindu  home  a  lady,  who  had  been 
under  the  influence  of  a  missionary  visiting  this  zenana, 
lay  dying.  She  was  a  secret  Christian.  Recognising  that 
she  could  not  live  and  her  husband  making  no  objection, 
she  urgently  begged  to  be  baptised  by  her  visiting  friend. 
No  ordained  missionary,  because  of  his  sex,  could  enter 
the  home,  and  the  dying  woman  believed  that  baptism 
was  essential  to  her  salvation.  If  her  baptism  became 
public,  it  would  mean  the  interruption  of  the  missionary’s 
work,  perhaps  the  final  closing  of  the  zenanas  of  that 
city  to  all  the  ladies  of  its  mission.  Moreover,  the  mis¬ 
sionary  was  not  authorised  by  her  church  to  administer 
baptism.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  missionary  baptised  the 
dying  woman.  The  deceased  was  cremated  with  Hindu 
ceremonies.  The  husband  kept  his  silence.  The  mission 
authorities  did  not  censure  the  missionary,  though  she 

167 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


had  acted  without  authorisation.  The  wisdom  of  such 
authorisation  has  often  been  discussed  by  missionary  con¬ 
ferences  in  India.  The  actual  practice  is  not  uniform. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  In  the  face  of  the  insistence  of  the  dying  woman,  what 
ought  the  missionary  to  have  done :  explained  that  baptism  is 
not  essential  to  salvation,  or  met  the  emergency  by  baptising  the 
woman  herself?  What  other  course,  if  any,  was  open? 

2.  What  is  your  church  law  on  this  question? 

4.  PURDAH  WOMEN  AND  THE  SACRAMENTS 

a.  Baptism.  In  India  the  purdah  is  a  common  insti¬ 
tution  among  Muhammadans,  and  many  thousands — in¬ 
deed  some  millions — of  women  are  kept  more  or  less 
secluded  in  the  zenanas  to  which  men  other  than  the 
nearest  of  kin  are  never  admitted.  Even  where  Hindu 
women  move  freely  in  public  places,  they  can  usually  be 
reached  by  the  Gospel  only  through  the  ministry  of 
women.  Muhammadan  women  of  the  upper  classes  un¬ 
doubtedly  feel  that  modesty,  even  perhaps  chastity,  are 
inconsistent  with  the  abandonment  of  the  purdah. 

Indian  zenana  and  Bible-women  are  engaged  in  house 
to  house  visitation  with  the  Christian  message.  As  a 
result  learners  not  seldom  become  disciples  and  disciples 
sincere  believers.  At  this  stage  various  problems  of 
procedure  arise.  To  a  woman  brought  up  in  the  strictly 
guarded  seclusion  of  the  zenana,  the  habits  and  feelings 
associated  with  this  custom  become  a  second  nature. 
Lifelong  sentiment  associates  ability  to  face  the  gaze  of 
men  with  brazen-facedness  and  immodesty.  To  force 
converts  from  this  class  to  break  over  their  habit  of 
seclusion  might  cause  them  to  lose  their  self-respect. 

Under  these  circumstances,  may  purdah  (i.e.,  sitting 
behind  a  veil)  women  be  baptised  in  the  church  in  the 
presence  of  Christian  women  only,  or  must  it  be  before 

168 


DECISIONS  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  BAPTISM 


the  general  audience?  If,  after  being  urged  to  come 
to  church  for  baptism,  they  can  not  or  will  not  come,  may 
baptism  be  given  privately  in  their  homes?  This  solu¬ 
tion  raises  the  question  as  to  whether  the  candidate  is 
making  an  open  and  honest  confession,  and  whether  she 
can  live  a  consistent  life  in  the  privacy  of  the  zenanas. 
Still  other  things  must  be  taken  into  consideration.  On 
the  one  hand  is  the  effect  publicity  would  have  on  the 
woman,  and  the  way  it  might  be  interpreted  by  the  non- 
Christian  mind  outside.  On  the  other  there  is  the  danger 
that  any  concession  to  the  purdah  system  would  be  a 
toleration  in  part  of  this  reprehensible  custom  of  Mu¬ 
hammadanism  that  would  result  in  ultimate  injury  to  the 
church.  So  great  a  departure  from  ordinary  Christian 
custom  might  grow  up  into  prescriptive  custom  in  favour 
of  a  certain  class.  Furthermore  it  is  desirable  to  avoid 
all  that  might  seem  like  intrigue  and  secrecy. 

b.  Communion.  A  still  more  difficult  problem,  espe¬ 
cially  for  certain  denominations,  is  to  decide  how  Com¬ 
munion  may  be  administered  to  such  women.  Suppose 
baptised  Christian  women  consent  to  come  to  church  and 
sit  behind  the  screen  provided  for  purdah  women,  but 
will  not  bring  themselves  to  receive  Communion  in  the 
midst  of  a  mixed  congregation,  may  they  receive  it  from 
a  part  of  the  chancel  curtained  off,  or  in  a  private  place 
screened  off  from  the  male  part  of  the  congregation  ? 
Besides  the  considerations  brought  out  under  paragraph 
a,  one  must  balance  the  inconvenience  in  administration 
against  the  possible  harm  to  the  women  of  over-urging 
them  into  the  public. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Why  do  you  consider  the  purdah  system  contrary  to  the 
Spirit  of  Christ?  How  can  missionaries  most  sympathetically  and 
effectively  help  those  concerned  to  discern  this  opposition? 

169 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


2.  Under  what  circumstances  would  the  two  sacraments  be 
administered  privately  by  your  own  home  church? 

3.  Should  a  missionary  limit  his  guidance  to  declaring  what  he 
deems  to  be  the  better  way,  leaving  it  to  the  Spirit  of  God  to 
lead  the  growing  churches  on  the  mission  field  into  all  truth?  Or 
should  he  attempt  to  enforce,  as  an  essential  part  of  the  religion 
of  Christ,  the  acceptance  of  the  fruits  this  religion  has  borne  in 
the  social  fabric  of  his  own  nation? 

4.  What  weight  in  a  matter  of  this  kind  should  be  given  to 
the  judgment  of  the  native  Christian  community? 

5.  Ought  any  difference  in  case  a  be  made  between  baptising 
a  Muhammadan  woman  whose  husband  remains  a  Muhammadan, 
and  one  whose  husband  is  already  a  Christian  ? 

6.  To  what  extent  is  the  meaning  and  purpose  of  the  sacra¬ 
ments  lost  when  these  rites  are  administered  in  secret? 


170 


Chapter  VIII 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 

1.  STANDARDS  OF  AESTHETIC  EXPRESSION  ADVISABLE  FOR 

A  MISSIONARY 

One  of  our  great  missionary  leaders  says,  “Doubtless 
the  most  potent,  single  influence  exerted  by  the  mission¬ 
ary  is  through  the  object  lesson  of  his  home.”  1  In  set¬ 
ting  up  a  home  abroad,  the  great  difference  between  the 
economic  level  possible  to  missionaries  and  that  normal 
to  most  of  the  people  among  whom  they  work  is  a 
perennial  problem  and  one  that  has  many  ramifications. 
One  difficulty  is  to  determine  on  what  scale  the  mis¬ 
sionary  should  live  and  furnish  his  house.  Many  a 
native  pastor  keenly  feels  the  limitations  imposed  by  his 
salary  on  the  purchase  of  books,  entertaining,  and  dress¬ 
ing  suitably  to  meet  people  of  culture,  and  will  confide 
to  a  friend  that  he  is  always  conscious  of  the  difference 
in  this  regard  between  the  missionaries  and  himself.  Na¬ 
tive  co-teachers  in  mission  schools  and  colleges  sometimes 
smart  under  their  limitations  in  entertaining  students  and 
otherwise  expressing  themselves  due  to  the  lower  wage 
scale  which  they  receive  in  comparison  with  their  foreign 
colleagues. 

There  is  bound  to  be  a  difference  of  opinion  among 
missionaries  as  to  the  proper  style  of  living  and  the  order¬ 
ing  of  one’s  domestic  life  abroad.  Some  hold  that  a  mis¬ 
sionary’s  house,  not  only  serves  as  a  home  for  himself 

l  Mott,  John  R.,  “The  Present  World  Situation,”  p.  128. 

171 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


and  family,  but  should  be  an  object  lesson  for  all  the 
community,  being  open  to  everybody.  Believing  that  it 
is  futile  to  make  a  display  of  rugs  and  pictures  which 
in  all  human  probability  will  be  beyond  the  economic 
range  of  the  people  for  decades  to  come,  they  attempt  to 
make  their  homes  as  far  as  possible  a  practical  model 
which  conceivably  could  be  imitated.  The  missionary 
wife  can  often  create  an  orderly,  neat,  and  attractive 
home  out  of  materials  accessible  at  least  to  the  better 
class  among  whom  she  lives.  In  order  to  satisfy  the 
curiosity  of  a  people  unused  to  foreign  ways,  a  mis¬ 
sionary  wife  may  set  aside  one  day  a  week  when  her 
friends  may  go  all  over  her  house,  opening  drawers, 
looking  at  clothes,  and  asking  all  sorts  of  questions  as 
to  how  she  lives. 

Quite  apart  from  the  attempt  to  set  up  a  home  that 
could  serve  as  a  model,  any  missionary  regrets  the  in¬ 
evitably  higher  standard  at  which  he  must  live,  and  the 
gulf  which  tends  to  form  between  himself  and  those  with 
whom  in  the  fullest  sense  he  would  be  friends.  He  is 
eager  to  do  nothing  that  will  accentuate  an  inferiority 
complex  on  the  part  of  the  people,  or  which  would  act 
as  a  bar  to  fellowship.  A  few,  with  what  some  would 
call  a  morbid  sensitiveness,  are  vividly  conscious  of  the 
discrepancy  between  their  comfortable  homes  and  Christ’s 
way  of  life.  One  missionary  man  and  wife  in  the  Punjab 
reduced  their  furnishings  to  the  simplest,  approaching  as 
nearly  as  possible  the  native  standard.  Nothing  in  their 
home  was  so  fine  or  expensive  that  they  felt  constrained 
in  having  their  village  friends  come  into  their  home. 
Even  then  it  was  vastly  higher  than  that  of  their  Indian 
friends. 

In  the  face  of  one  of  those  cuts  in  appropriations  from 
America  which  almost  break  the  heart  of  any  eager  mis¬ 
sionary,  one  family  in  China,  who  had  been  feeling  keenly 
the  difference  between  foreign  and  Chinese  ways  of  liv- 

172 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


ing,  left  their  foreign  house  with  furnace  heat  and  other 
conveniences,  to  live  in  Chinese  quarters  such  as  the 
average  church  member  in  their  constituency  would  have. 
They  also  lived  on  what  a  Chinese  family  would  spend 
for  food,  which  necessitated  the  closest  economy  of  meat, 
milk,  butter,  etc.  By  this  plan  they  saved  money,  since 
their  house  was  rented,  and  their  current  expenses  cut 
down.  They  could  therefore  contribute  directly  to  the 
mission’s  need,  and  also  felt  that  they  could  eliminate  the 
gulf  between  the  Chinese  and  themselves  as  foreigners. 
The  result  was  the  physical  and  nervous  breakdown  of 
both  the  missionary  and  his  wife,  and  enforced  rest  under 
a  doctor’s  strict  regulation. 

This  attempt  to  approximate  native  standards  has  other 
drawbacks.  In  a  well-known  experiment  tried  in  the 
United  Provinces,  India,  a  missionary  who  had  adopted 
the  life  of  poverty  and  went  about  as  an  Indian  religious 
mendicant  found  that  the  people  only  wondered  what 
kind  of  poor  white  trash  he  was  that  he  could  not  live 
as  his  fellows.  Many  natives  expect  missionaries  to  have 
better  houses,  servants,  etc.,  and  regard  them  as  stingy 
if  they  do  not  do  it.  In  parts  of  China  missionaries  have 
been  rebuked  for  eating  rice,  while  the  Chinese  about  them 
could  buy  only  flour,  which  is  about  half  as  costly.  Con¬ 
sequently  some  missionaries  have  taken  special  pains  to 
avoid  ordering  rice  at  a  public  inn,  confining  themselves 
to  the  common  food  of  the  people.  Onlookers  however 
have  criticised  them  as  “tightwads”  and  as  unwilling  to 
part  with  their  money.  Some  take  their  own  food  with 
them,  ordering  little  else  than  water.  But  even  this  can 
be  criticised.  “Our  food  is  not  good  enough  for  them, 
but  they  can’t  get  along  without  water.” 

Hence,  still  other  missionaries  take  the  position  that 
their  homes  should  express  the  standard  of  beauty  and 
culture  natural  to  their  means  and  taste.  Some  are  in¬ 
fluenced  by  the  belief  that,  as  Westerners  in  an  Oriental 

173 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


environment,  they  would  break  if  they  could  not  have 
something  of  their  old  Occident  in  their  surroundings. 
Without  a  congenial,  aesthetic  expression  about  them,  they 
feel  that  they  would  not  be  able  to  stand  the  isolation 
and  hardships  of  mission  life  in  some  areas.  Others  adopt 
this  position  because  they  sincerely  believe  that  to  have 
an  attractive  but  not  extravagant  home  according  to 
Western  standards  is  one  of  the  minor  contributions 
which  they  can  make  to  the  field  in  which  they  work. 

Acting  on  this  principle  a  missionary  and  his  wife  in 
the  Punjab  bought  the  best  pictures,  rugs,  and  furniture 
they  could  afford.  On  principle,  however,  they  did  not 
let  fear  of  injury  to  their  things  keep  them  from  enter¬ 
taining  those  who  were  not  used  to  Western  ways.  If  a 
guest  sprinkled  water  from  the  finger  bowl  over  a  radius 
of  two  feet  on  their  tablecloth,  well  and  good.  They  did 
not  let  the  fact  that  the  football  team  might  drop  mango 
seeds  and  skins  over  the  drawing-room  carpet  keep  them 
from  having  the  men  in  after  a  victory.  One  of  the 
most  beloved  missionaries  of  Siam  had  a  very  comfort¬ 
able  home,  but  no  place  was  too  good  for  his  Siamese 
friends.  He  was  never  too  busy  to  receive  them  and 
give  them  all  the  time  they  wanted.  No  effort  was  too 
great  to  entertain  them,  and  by  so  doing  he  patiently  won 
more  of  them  to  Christ  than  he  ever  knew.  He  would 
say,  “If  I  can  get  the  people  to  come  to  me,  I  have  a  far 
better  opportunity  to  teach  them  than  if  I  have  to  go  to 
them.”  He  would  sit  up  late  into  the  night  doing  his 
private  work  that  he  might  spend  the  day  with  the  people 
who  filled  his  home. 

To  avoid  obvious  difficulties,  certain  expedients  are 
sometimes  adopted.  For  example,  in  an  inland  Chinese 
station,  where  the  village  people  would  not  hesitate  to 
enter  a  missionary’s  home  with  their  clumsy,  mud-covered 
shoes,  two  reception  rooms  were  arranged,  one  in  Ameri¬ 
can  style  with  rugs  and  carpets,  the  other  in  the  Chinese 

174 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


style  of  their  community  with  dirt  floor.  It  was  under¬ 
stood  that  friends  would  be  received  in  whichever  room 
they  chose ;  but  it  was  laughingly  taken  for  granted  that 
they  would  want  to  conform  to  the  standards  and  eti¬ 
quette  of  the  room  they  chose. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  How  would  you  criticise  the  following  positions : 

(a)  “It  is  just  as  well  to  let  the  natives  see  that  we  come  from 
a  different  civilisation  and  have  different  standards  of  living. 
How  else  can  they  appreciate  what  we  are  doing  for  them?” 

(b)  “It  is  none  of  the  natives’  business  how  the  missionary 
lives.” 

(c)  “My  home  is  my  castle.  I  come  back  to  it  to  get  nerves 
rested  and  mind  quieted  and  refreshed.  This  is  the  place  for 
me  to  conform  to  my  needs.  I  can  render  my  service  and  do 
my  missionary  work  outside  my  house.” 

(d)  “The  particular  level  at  which  we  express  our  lives  in 
a  particular  way  is  of  little  consequence.  It  is  the  spirit  and 
welcome  of  our  homes  that  signify.” 

(e)  “A  missionary  is  living  in  luxury  when  he  exceeds  the 
standard  established  as  the  minimum  requisite  for  the  mainte¬ 
nance  of  healthful  life.” 

(f)  “Luxury  is  indeed  possible  in  the  future — innocent  and 
exquisite ;  luxury  for  all  and  by  the  help  of  all ;  but  luxury  at 
present  can  only  be  enjoyed  by  the  ignorant;  the  crudest  man 
living  could  not  sit  at  his  feast  unless  he  sat  blindfold.” 

(g)  “Basic  to  one  who  longs  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is 
that  realisation  of  brotherhood  and  fellowship  and  communion 
which  he  craves  to  have  with  all  men  everywhere.  Not  only  is 
it  lacking  among  men  generally,  but  it  is  hard  to  find  even 
among  Christians,  and  largely  because  of  the  fact  that  some 
have,  and  many  more  have  not.  It  is  the  economic  factor  which 
is  the  ultimate  cause  of  this  separation.” 

2.  Actual  practice  on  the  mission  field  will  depend  on  such 
considerations  as  the  value  of  congenial,  aesthetic  surroundings 
as  a  factor  in  the  reinforcement  of  a  missionary  for  service, 
culture  and  temperament  in  the  personal  equation  of  the  particu¬ 
lar  missionary,  the  group  one  most  wishes  to  reach  through  one’s 
home  (upper  classes,  pariahs,  students,  peasants,  etc.),  the  ab¬ 
sence  or  presence  of  children,  and  a  desire  to  witness  to  Western 
standards.  What  other  considerations  might  enter  in?  Arrange 
these  in  two  groups,  those  of  primary  and  those  of  secondary 
importance. 


175 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


3.  Try  to  draft  a  working  definition  of  luxury  for  a  mis¬ 
sionary.1 

4.  With  great  and  unmistakable  needs  about  him,  how  would 
you  justify  a  missionary’s  use  of  part  of  his  means  for  luxuries 
or  near  luxuries.  Should  we  apply  a  different  standard  in  this 
respect  to  a  missionary  than  to  a  Christian  in  the  West?  Why? 


2.  IDOLS  AS  ORNAMENTS 


In  many  missionary  homes  idols  that  have  been  given 
up  by  converts  find  a  place  as  curios,  souvenirs,  orna¬ 
ments,  or  works  of  art.  It  is  possible  that,  while  those 
who  know  foreign  ways  may  understand  that  they  are 
there  for  purely  aesthetic  reasons,  strangers  or  country 
people  may  assume  that  they  are  objects  of  worship. 
The  non-Christian  servants  who  handle  them  and  dust 
them  may  think  of  them  as  more  than  wood  or  stone. 
One  missionary  in  China  had  a  handsome  brass  incense 
burner  on  a  mantel  in  her  home.  She  used  it  as  a  vase 
for  flowers,  but  removed  it  when  she  found  that  one 
woman  could  not  believe  it  was  for  any  purpose  other 
than  an  occasional,  sly  sacrifice  to  Buddha.  It  is  some¬ 
times  hard  for  native  Christians,  who  have  themselves 
discarded  idols  from  their  homes  under  pressure  and  at 
considerable  sacrifice,  to  see  them  in  a  missionary’s  home 
even  when  they  know  he  does  not  worship  them.  On  the 
other  hand,  one  may  take  the  position  that  while  it  is 
barely  possible  that  the  exceptional  visitor  may  misunder¬ 
stand,  the  greatest  educative  effect  will  result  from  dis¬ 
regarding  the  former  religious  significance  of  idols. 

One  who  has  trained  many  out-going  missionaries 
urged  them  to  make  their  sensitiveness  to  the  pathos  of 
idolatry  an  index  of  their  own  spiritual  condition,  for  it 
is  quite  possible  for  a  Westerner  to  have  the  delicacy 
of  his  spiritual  reactions  dulled  from  familiarity  with 


l  Consult  a  special  issue  of  The  World,  To-morrow ,  June, 
“Charting  the  Luxury  Line.” 


176 


1922, 


on 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


idolatrous  customs.  In  line  with  this,  one  missionary 
believes  that,  if  he  can  pass  Hindu  worship  without  feel¬ 
ing  deep  pain,  it  is  time  for  him  to  enter  a  retreat.  An¬ 
other  missionary  warns  his  Indian  Christian  associate 
workers  about  looking  on  an  idol  procession  as  a  spec¬ 
tacle.  For  them  to  bring  their  little  children  to  see  it,  he 
regards  as  dulling  and  stupefying.  It  is  a  question 
whether,  even  in  the  West,  idols  should  ever  become 
mere  ornaments  and  curios  with  our  consciousness  dulled 
to  the  fact  that  there  are  still  millions  who  have  such 
objects  as  their  highest  known  means  of  access  to  God. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  In  the  use  of  idols  as  curios  or  ornaments,  what  things  must 
the  missionary  take  into  consideration  that  people  do  not  need  to 
regard  in  the  West? 

2.  With  what  motives  and  attitudes  would  you  justify  their 
use  in  Western  homes?  In  missionary  homes? 

3.  What  bearing  on  this  question,  if  any,  would  there  be  in 
considering  how  we  would  feel  to  see  a  man  using  a  mediaeval 
communion  cup  as  an  ink  pot? 

3.  PERSONAL  ADJUSTMENTS 

Missionaries  are  often  brought  into  closer  relationships 
with  one  another  on  the  field  than  is  usual  for  families 
at  home.  Sometimes,  where  the  housing  accommodation 
is  not  adequate,  two  missionary  families  may  be  assigned 
the  same  house.  Often  in  the  summer  sanatoria  or  hill 
resorts  two  or  more  families  are  crowded  into  one  large 
house.  Single  men  and  women  missionaries  frequently 
share  the  home  of  some  married  missionary.  All  such 
conditions  make  their  demand  on  patience  and  adapta¬ 
bility. 

a.  Gossip.  The  inevitable  intimacy  of  such  conditions 
often  leads  to  petty  but  most  unfortunate  criticisms. 

177 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


Hints  that  cannot  be  called  kind  are  sometimes  dropped 

by  one  missionary  about  another.  “Mr.  and  Mrs.  - 

have  milk  toast  every  night  for  supper.  I  thought  I’d  die 
living  with  them  for  six  weeks/’  “Well,  of  course 

Mrs.  -  really  doesn’t  know  anything  about  managing 

a  house.  She’s  a  college  graduate  and — well,  you  know. 

I  hope  you  won’t  have  to  live  with  them.”  “Mr.  - 

always  wants  all  the  station  money  for  his  own  work.  He 
can’t  see  anybody  else’s  point  of  view.”  “No,  I  haven’t 
time  for  a  rest  at  noon.  Of  course,  somebody  has  to  keep 

the  work  going.”  “Well,  I  hate  to  say  it,  Mr.  -  has 

wonderful  theories  of  education,  but  his  children  are  a 
menace  to  the  compound.”  A  young  lady  with  a  decided 
prejudice  against  rocking  chairs  has  an  associate  who 
likes  nothing  better  in  the  rest  period  than  to  rock  back 
and  forth  as  she  crochets.  A  nurse  “talks  shop  all  the 
time.”  In  a  certain  station  two  strong  natures  that  have 
not  learned  to  give  up  in  little  things  clash.  Thus  the 
unusually  close  association  on  the  mission  field  may  de¬ 
velop  many  friction  points. 

b.  Thoughtlessness.  A  city  missionary  and  his  wife 
became  rather  vexed  by  a  fellow  missionary  from  the 
district  who,  when  shopping  in  the  metropolis,  made  a 
convenience  of  their  home.  He  had  a  habit  of  dropping 
in  unexpectedly  after  a  long  motor  trip.  It  was  usually 
just  at  meal  time,  so  that  either  the  servants  had  to  be 
delayed  while  he  made  an  elaborate  “clean  up,”  or  else 
he  would  go  to  the  table  as  he  was,  and  thus  often  shock 
the  more  delicate  sense  of  etiquette  of  Chinese  guests  who 
might  be  present.  He  did  not  realise  that  politeness  and 
a  scrupulous  rgard  for  the  sensibilities  of  others  is  a 
highly  desirable  requisite  in  missionaries  to  the  Chinese. 
Moreover,  while  in  the  city  he  would  allow  himself  to 
come  late  to  meals,  often  starting  out  for  an  errand  ten 
minutes  before  the  appointed  meal  time.  Such  guests  do 

178 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


not  help  household  arrangements,  and  the  situation  was 
beginning  to  develop  considerable  friction. 

The  solution  in  this  case  did  not  come  from  the  side 
where  the  blame  was  greatest.  That  summer,  when  the 
city  missionary  and  his  wife  were  away  in  the  mountains 
for  their  summer  rest  they  prayed  specifically  for  new 
light  and  strength  for  their  work  and  all  their  relations 
with  others.  They  made  a  special  study  of  their  Bibles 
and  attended  regularly  a  two  weeks’  series  of  meetings 
for  the  deepening  of  the  spiritual  life.  The  leader  was 
not  exactly  to  their  liking,  but  they  received  a  very  definite 
blessing.  When  they  went  back  to  their  work  they  sud¬ 
denly  found  that  their  rural  friend’s  ways  did  not  irritate 
them  any  longer,  they  welcomed  him  gladly,  enjoyed  pro¬ 
tracted  accounts  of  his  problems,  and  were  able  to  ignore 
the  habits  that  had  been  so  objectionable. 

c.  Dressing  for  dinner.  In  many  mission  centres, 
especially  in  the  cities  where  official  influence  is  strong, 
it  is  far  more  common  to  dress  for  dinner  than  in  most 
American  cities.  The  host  and  hostess  in  one  missionary 
home  located  in  a  small  town  made  it  their  practice  to 
come  to  their  dinner  table  each  night  in  evening  dress. 
Their  idea  was  not  at  all  to  put  on  airs,  but  vigorously 
to  combat  the  tendency  to  let  down  standards  and  become 
somewhat  dowdy,  when  beyond  the  bounds  of  European 
civilisation  and  the  stimulation  of  friends. 

With  them  was  living  a  single  missionary,  who  not  only 
did  not  have  a  dress  suit,  but  did  not  want  one,  and  rather 
pooh-poohed,  the  whole  idea  of  going  the  extra  mile  in 
keeping  up  the  refinements  of  Western  civilisation.  He 
was  inclined  to  think  that  clean  shirt  sleeves  were  good 
enough  for  the  mission  field,  if  they  had  been  good 
enough  in  his  college  days. 

This  started  out  by  being  a  small  matter  of  adjust¬ 
ment,  but,  as  neither  could  yield  an  inch  and  no  sense  of 

179 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


humour  came  to  the  rescue,  friction  grew  to  such  propor¬ 
tions  that  the  spiritual  work  of  the  station  became  en¬ 
dangered,  complaint  reached  the  Board,  and  the  transfer 
of  both  parties  was  necessary. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Who  was  most  to  blame  in  case  ct  How  would  you,  as  a 
Christian,  have  attempted  to  solve  the  situation  if  you  had  been 
the  wife?  The  missionary  guest? 

2.  Do  you  consider  the  appropriation  of  Christianity  by  indi¬ 
viduals  to  be  faulty  if  they  cannot  get  on  with  others?  Al¬ 
ways  ?  Why,  or  why  not  ? 

3.  What  reflections  on  the  training  and  qualification  of  mis¬ 
sionaries  does  this  section  suggest? 

4.  DISHONESTY  IN  SERVANTS 

A  possible  source  of  irritation  in  many  mission  fields 
is  the  petty  thieving  in  which  servants  indulge.  You 
find  that  the  same  eggs  have  been  sold  to  you  a  second 
time.  The  washer-boy  has  asked  for  three  bars  of  soap 
each  week  to  do  the  family  washing,  and  later  you  find 
out  that  he  has  used  only  one  bar  a  week,  having  sold 
the  other  two.  One  day  you  discover  that  the  cook  has 
been  paying  four  cents  for  the  cabbage  for  which  he  has 
been  taking  fifteen  cents  from  you.  One  of  your  best 
napkins  has  been  burned  with  the  iron.  Who  did  it? 
You  know,  and  the  laundry  boy  knows.  If  you  call  his 
attention  to  it  he  must  either  tell  a  falsehood,  or  ‘dose 
face.”  In  the  latter  case  you  are  likely  to  lose  your 
servant. 

Sometimes  difference  in  practice  creates  difficulty. 
Missionary  A  was  assigned  to  a  station  where  missionary 
B  had  long  lived.  It  eventually  was  evident  that  Mr.  B, 
for  the  sake  of  peace  and  regularity  in  household  service, 
had  acquired  the  habit  of  winking  at  petty  thefts  on  the 
part  of  his  servants — sugar,  tea,  milk,  flour,  bread,  etc. 

180 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


Mr.  A  felt  it  obligatory  to  hold  his  servants  to  standards 
of  absolute  honesty.  This  naturally  led  to  friction  be¬ 
tween  him  and  his  servants,  so  that  there  were  frequent 
changes,  and  the  reproach  that  Mr.  A  could  not  get  on 
with  his  servants. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  analogy  to  this  situation  is  there  in  the  West? 

2.  What  principle,  if  any,  applicable  to  this  situation,  has 
been  worked  out  in  the  West? 

3.  What  responsibility  should  a  missionary  feel  for  ascer¬ 
taining  what  a  living  wage  is,  and  paying  that,  irrespective  of 
prevailing  rates  ? 1 

4.  One  missionary  feels  that  it  is  his  duty  to  teach  his 
servants  lessons  of  honesty  and  justice.  Hence  even  at  great 
expense  of  time  and  nervous  energy  he  undertakes  to  make 
them  hew  to  the  line.  Any  other  procedure  would,  he  feels,  tend 
to  blunt  his  own  sensitiveness  to  right.  Another  is  quite  ready 
to  lose  a  considerable  amount  of  money  rather  than  to  expend 
energy  in  household  reform.  He,  therefore,  partially  closes 
his  eyes,  and  does  not  ask  too  many  questions.  Which  is 
right?  If  neither,  sketch  the  proper  procedure. 

5.  Engineers  know  the  tensile  strength  of  each  material 
they  use.  They  would  be  culpable  if  they  permitted  an  over¬ 
strain  to  come  upon  a  given  beam.  Weigh  the  culpability  of  a 
housekeeper  who  does  not  take  the  pains  to  get  acquainted 
with  market  prices  or  quantities  needed  or  who  permits  sup¬ 
plies  in  quantity  to  be  unduly  exposed  without  lock  or  key,  so 
that  such  cheating  as  was  suggested  in  the  first  paragraph  is 
possible.  Is  such  prevention  of  dishonesty  really  promoting 
honesty? 

6.  A  missionary  may  take  the  position  that  the  causes  under¬ 
lying  these  problems  are  too  widespread  and  complicated  for 
one  individual  to  cope  successfully  with  them.  What  is  your 
judgment  as  to  the  validity  of  this  position? 

5.  NON-CHRISTIANS  SHARING  IN  FAMILY  PRAYERS 

It  is  a  very  common  practice  for  missionaries  to  have 
their  servants — cook,  gateman,  gardener,  washerman, 

l  Increase  of  wages  does  not  necessarily  stop  the  “squeeze.”  Cases  are 
known  where  the  increase  in  wage  has  been  interpreted  as  a  sign  that 
money  is  plentiful,  and  so  the  squeeze  was  increased. 

181 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


nurse,  etc. — come  to  family  prayers.  In  such  families  it 
is  an  understood  custom,  and  the  servants  rarely  refuse 
even  when  they  are  non-Christians.  In  China,  for 
example,  just  as  no  man  can  be  employed  in  a  shop 
unless  he  is  willing  to  join  in  the  worship  of  the  gods 
who  are  supposed  to  bring  business  success,  so  it  does 
not  seem  unreasonable  to  the  Chinese  that  a  missionary 
should  compel  his  servants  to  join  in  morning  worship. 
Many  non-Christian  servants  have  become  followers  of 
Jesus  as  a  result  of  their  contact  with  Christianity  in  the 
home.  Others  continue  to  render  good  and  faithful 
service  for  ten  or  fifteen  years  without  professing  any 
change  in  religion.  Occasionally  a  missionary  does  not 
call  his  servants  to  family  prayers  for  fear  of  their  be¬ 
coming  too  much  at  home  to  be  good  servants. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  Would  you  feel  like  establishing  the  custom  of  daily  prayers 
for  your  whole  household,  servants  included?  Why?  Why 
not? 

2.  What  place  has  compulsion  in  the  case  of  children  or 
servants  who  do  not  regard  the  prayer  service  as  a  privilege? 

3.  Some  feel  the  need  of  family  prayers  as  opposed  to  the 
more  inclusive  household  prayers.  How  would  you  be  inclined 
to  meet  this  conflict? 

4.  Suppose  it  were  your  desire  to  have  all  take  a  part,  as 
far  as  possible,  in  the  service.  If  some  of  the  servants  were 
non-Christian,  would  you  exclude  these  from  reading  a  Scrip¬ 
ture  verse  in  turn?  From  commenting  on  their  verse?  From 
praying  in  turn?  Why?  State  as  clearly  as  possible  the  object 
of  having  them  take  part  in  the  service. 

5.  Has  the  missionary  any  obligation  in  regard  to  household 
prayers  that  is  different  from  that  of  a  Christian  in  America? 

6.  MAINTAINING  SPIRITUAL  RENEWAL 

The  cases  which  are  being  considered  in  these  chapters 
manifestly  require  common  sense,  historical  and  compara- 

182 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


tive  judgment,  and  special  training  in  one  or  the  other 
fields  of  university  study.  Insights  of  highest  value,  how¬ 
ever,  should  come  from  those  who  not  only  pay  the  price 
of  thorough  investigation  and  conclusive  thinking,  but 
who  bring  to  bear  upon  life’s  problems  and  opportunities 
the  quiet  poise  of  a  unified  and  spiritual  personality  in 
tune  with  the  purposeful,  creative  Source  of  life  and  love. 
The  spiritual  renewal  of  personality  in  the  presence  of 
God  is  imperative  for  fulness  of  life-sharing,  but  the  mis¬ 
sion  field  presents  no  more  insidious  and  persistent  temp¬ 
tation  than  at  this  point. 

A  young  woman  went  out  to  the  mission  field  as  the 
wife  of  a  college  professor.  She  was  experienced,  spir¬ 
itually  minded,  devoted  and  sincere  in  her  desire  faith¬ 
fully  to  serve.  But  after  some  months  had  passed  she 
wakened  up  one  morning  in  her  Indian  bungalow  to  the 
fact  that  something  was  wrong.  She  was  very  busy  doing 
things  from  morn  till  night — all  useful  and  necessary 
things — but  she  realised  that  she  was  not  keeping  true 
to  her  experience  of  the  value  of  a  quiet  unhurried  devo¬ 
tional  life.  She  had  learned  through  years  of  work  at 
home  that  a  day  begun  with  communion  with  God  yields 
finer  results  than  one  without  this  quiet  time.  As  she 
meditated  her  mind  went  back  to  old  Chicago  days  of 
rush  and  hurry,  and  she  recalled  how,  as  she  thought  out 
toward  the  mission  field,  she  had  expected  to  find  plenty 
of  time  to  read  and  study  her  Bible  and  to  pray  dynami¬ 
cally.  She  supposed  that  every  missionary  naturally 
found  time  for  these  things  because  they  would  be  so 
essential. 

Experience,  however,  had  now  shown  her  otherwise. 
Missionaries  were,  if  possible,  even  more  than  those  at 
home  pressed  and  hurried  by  opportunities  of  service, 
and  by  constant  interruptions.  In  her  own  case  there 
was  the  cry  of  the  baby  clamouring  for  attention  long 
before  time  for  wakening  in  the  morning.  There  was 

183 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


the  detail  of  running  an  Oriental  home  with  its  locked 
cupboards  and  constant  oversight  of  water  and  milk  and 
sanitary  standards.  There  were,  as  one  would  wish,  calls 
from  village  Christians  who  needed  friendly  help  for  one 
suddenly  taken  ill,  or  advice  on  some  personal  problem, 
or  who  just  wanted  to  sit  and  visit.  There  were  tourists 
turning  up  at  the  railroad  station  to  be  met,  entertained, 
and  shown  mission  work  in  its  perspective  that  they 
might  go  back  home  and  rightly  interpret  what  missions 
are  trying  to  do.  There  were  fellow  missionaries  from 
outstations  dropping  in  unexpectedly  for  the  day’s  den¬ 
tistry  or  shopping.  Very  often  as  she  went  off  to  her 
work  in  school  or  zenana  or  hospital  she  carried  that 
added  burden  which  India’s  climate  so  often  places  upon 
a  mother — solicitude  because  of  illness  in  her  household. 

In  the  midst  of  these  activities  it  was  not  strange  that 
prayer  should  be  crowded  out.  At  hand  were  the  best 
of  excuses.  How  could  she  take  a  quiet  half-hour  for 
herself  when  others  needed  her  time  so  much?  Where 
could  she  go  to  be  alone?  Doors  shut  with  uncertainty 
and  difficulty  in  the  old  Indian  bungalow,  so  that  privacy 
could  not  be  depended  upon.  From  the  standpoint  both 
of  satisfactory  time  and  place  it  was  easy  to  argue  that 
there  was  no  solution. 

But  then  came  the  deeper  consciousness  that  she  was 
losing  the  power  which  could  alone  make  her  life  effec¬ 
tive.  She  recalled  the  very  real  sacrifice  of  her  father  and 
mother  in  letting  their  only  daughter  go  for  life  to  a 
foreign  land.  The  cost  was  great  and  could  only  be 
justified  by  its  fruitage.  Quantity  of  service  could  be 
performed  without  prayer,  but  power  of  spirit  could  come 
in  only  one  way.  She  knew  it.  She  had  tried  it  out  at 
home.  She  was  conscious  of  failure  just  at  this  point. 
“There  must  be  a  way,”  she  said. 

Her  mind  began  to  turn  things  over.  If  there  was  no 
secluded  spot  she  would  make  one.  She  selected  a  small 

1 84 


PROBLEMS  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  HOME 


room  through  which  she  most  frequently  had  to  pass  in 
the  course  of  the  day.  Since  doors  would  not  shut,  she 
hung  curtains  which  could  be  quickly  drawn  across  wide 
openings.  This  gave  at  least  the  sense  of  seclusion.  She 
had  her  carpenter  make  a  prayer  desk  and  this  was  placed 
in  the  passage  with  her  open  Bible  upon  it,  and  pencil 
and  pad  near  by.  To  complete  her  altar  she  sent  for  a 
large  copy  of  Hoffmann’s  “Christ  in  Gethsemane,”  which 
was  hung  over  the  desk.  This  picture  spoke  to  her  every 
time  she  passed  through  the  room.  It  said — “If  Christ, 
who  had  so  many  people  pressing  upon  him  for  healing 
and  instruction,  who  could  meet  men’s  needs  so  much 
better  than  I  can,  found  it  necessary  to  pray  and  found 
time  to  pray,  so,  surely,  can  I !”  This  room  with  its 
desk  and  picture  proved  the  secret  of  a  new  poise  and 
power.  Things  happened  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
those  who  came  to  this  home  that  had  not  happened 
before. 

The  problem  which  this  young  missionary  faced  is 
common  to  every  field.  The  details  may  vary,  but  the 
outline  is  the  same.  Everywhere  one  must  fight  for  one’s 
spiritual  life  against  unfavourable  environment,  time, 
and  place.  It  is  the  same  problem  at  home  or  abroad. 
Geography  does  not  alter  the  difficulty  of  setting  one’s 
will  resolutely  to  the  regular  gathering  of  soul  manna. 

DISCUSSION 

1.  What  value  has  prayer  as  a  working  force  in  meeting  the 
problems  of  daily  life? 

2.  On  what  principles  would  you  determine  the  place  it  should 
have  in  a  missionary’s  life? 

3.  What  illustrations  from  biography — missionary  or  other¬ 
wise — can  you  bring  to  bear  upon  the  subject? 


185 


INDEX 


Accepting  hospitality,  e,  p.  70 
Adaptation  to  non-christian 
religious  thought,  Sec.  3,  p. 
.53 

Animism,  Sec.  1,  p.  18;  Sec.  2, 
p.  24 ;  b,  p.  60 
Arya  Samaj,  d,  p.  48. 
Assistance  to  a  native  enter¬ 
prise,  Sec.  3,  p.  98 
Attitude,  to  doubtful  customs, 
p.  17 

Bans,  d,  p.  112 

Banyan  test,  the,  e,  p.  26 

Baptism, 

by  a  woman  missionary,  Sec. 
3,  p.  167 

harbouring  runaways,  Sec.  2, 

p.  162 

of  purdah  women,  a,  p.  168 
polygamous  husbands,  Sec.  5, 

p.  126 

time  and  conditions  of,  Sec. 
1,  p.  157 

with  chuttiya,  f,  p.  21 
wives  of  polygamists,  a,  p. 
133 

Buddhism,  forms,  e,  p.  58 
Buddhist  forms,  e,  p.  58 
Building  under  protest,  c,  p.  103 

Charms,  d,  p.  25 
Child  betrothal,  a,  p.  122 
bride-price,  b,  p.  123 
Christian  incubator,  c,  p.  100 
Chuttiya,  the,  f,  p.  21 
Common  play,  b,  p.  79 
Common  worship,  c,  p.  79 
Communion,  b,  p.  169 
Concubinage,  d,  p.  129 


Confucianism, 
funeral  procession,  i,  p.  28 
memorial  feast,  Sec.  5,  p.  43 
tablet  of,  d,  p.  66 
written  character,  g,  p.  26 
Control,  westerners  under  na¬ 
tive.,  Sec.  4,  p.  81 
Convicting  a  desperado,  c,  p. 
89 

Courtship,  g,  p.  32 
Co-worship,  f,  p.  32 
Customs,  doubtful,  p.  17 

Damage  from  riot,  c,  p.  84 
Damp  servants’  quarters,  a,  p. 

74 

Demanding  one’s  rights,  Sec.  5, 
p.  83 

Destruction  with  official  con¬ 
nivance,  d,  p.  85 
Dishonesty  in  servants,  Sec.  4, 

p.  180 

Dress,  b,  p.  31 

Dressing  for  dinner,  c,  p.  179 
Drinking  impure  milk,  a,  p.  69 
Drum  beating,  e,  p.  36 

Eating  from  a  common  dish,  d, 
p.  70 

Eating  native  food,  c,  p.  70 
Employment  of  a  mother,  e,  p. 

75 

Equivocation,  d,  p.  104 
Evil-eye,  the,  c,  p.  25 

Family, 

Christian,  the,  Chapt.  V,  pp. 
111-141 

husband’s  name,  e,  p.  20 
standards,  b,  p.  74 


187 


CONTACTS  WITH  NON-CHRISTIAN  CULTURES 


Family  ( Cont .) 
the  missionary,  Chapt.  VIII, 
p.  171 

Feng  shui,  b,  p.  18 
Fermented  wheat,  d,  p.  36 
Forcible  purchase,  b,  p.  103 
Friday  worship,  b,  p.  46 
Funds  from  non-Christian 
sources,  Sec.  2,  p.  95 
Funeral  processions,  i,  p.  28 

Go-between,  use  of  a,  c,  p.  112 
Gossip,  a,  p.  177 
Grave  salutes,  c,  p.  19 

Half  truths,  e,  p.  104 
Harbouring  refugees,  Sec.  7,  p. 
92 

Hinduism, 

customs,  Sec.  5,  p.  42 
drum  beating,  e,  p.  36 
idols,  c,  p.  60;  d,  p.  60 
prayer  of,  c,  p.  66 
shrine,  e,  p.  61 
Home, 

spiritual  renewal  in  the,  Sec. 

6,  p.  182 

the  missionary,  Chapt.  VIII, 
pp.  171-185 

Hospital,  slackness  in,  f,  p.  75 
Hospitality,  c,  p.  31 

Idol  paper,  a,  p.  34 
Idols, 

as  ornaments,  Sec.  2,  p.  176 
community,  a,  p.  59 
food  offered  to,  h,  p.  28 
in  servants’  quarters,  a,  p.  46 
scorning,  d,  p.  60 
stepping  on,  c,  p.  60 
Idolatry,  Sec.  2,  p.  51 
Impartiality  in  service,  a,  p.  99 
Incense  making,  b,  p.  35 
Injury  to  summer  homes,  b,  p. 
84 

Justice  for  native  Christians, 
Sec.  6,  p.  87 


Koran,  the,  f,  p.  26 

Limitation  of  help  to  Chris¬ 
tians,  Sec.  4,  p.  99 
Lotus,  the,  a,  p.  62 
Lucky  sites,  b,  p.  18 

Marriage,  Sec.  1,  p.  112 
ceremony,  Sec.  2,  p.  115 
change  in  form,  e,  p.  20 
courtship,  g,  p.  32 
for  those  previously  mar¬ 
ried,  Sec.  7,  p.  138 
mixed,  Sec.  8,  p.  139 
of  missionaries,  h,  p.  32 
plural  wife,  b,  p.  133 
Memorial  as  indemnity,  e ,  p. 
85 

Mother-in-law  taboo,  e,  p.  113 
Mourning,  d,  p.  20 
Muhammadanism, 

Friday  worship,  b,  p.  46 
good  in,  f,  p.  49 
helping,  e,  p.  49 
Kalima,'  Sec.  5,  p.  42 
prayer  in  mosque,  a,  p.  54 
the  Koran,  f,  p.  26;  b,  p.  66 
tombs,  b,  p.  55 

Official  pressure,  f,  p.  104 
Oppression  by  corrupt  officials, 
b,  p.  88 

Pagodas,  a ,  p.  65 
Parental  authority,  Sec.  3,  p. 
119 

Persecution  by  relatives,  d,  p. 
90 

Persecution  by  Roman  Cath¬ 
olics,  a,  p.  88 

Personal  adjustments,  Sec.  3, 
p.  177 

Polygamists,  wives  of,  Sec.  6, 
'p.  133 

Polygamous  husbands,  Sec.  5,  p. 
126 

Pork  guild,  b,  p.  52 
Prayer  desk,  Sec.  6,  p.  185 


INDEX 


Prayers, 

community,  d,  p.  58 
in  a  mosque,  a ,  p.  54 
non-christians  sharing  in, 
Sec.  5,  p.  181 

using  the  name  of  Christ,  c, 
p.  56 

Property,  a,  p.  83 
Proprieties,  clash  in,  Sec.  3,  p. 
30 

Protection  of  a  generous 
preacher,  e,  p.  91 

Race  relations,  Chapt.  Ill,  pp. 
69-93 

Reserving  tips,  b,  p.  100 

Sacraments,  and  purdah  wom¬ 
en,  Sec.  4,  p.  168 
Salaries  for  mission  assistants, 
Sec.  1,  p.  94 
Sanitaria,  a,  p.  78 
Screening  native  quarters,  e,  p. 
74 

Securing  mission  property,  Sec. 
5,  p.  102 

Self-support,  Sec.  6,  p.  105 
Shaking  hands,  e,  p.  31 ;  b,  p. 
112 

Sheet  as  a  tablecloth,  b,  p.  69 
Sleeping  with  a  consumptive,  f, 
m  p.  71 

Spiritual  renewal,  Sec.  6,  p.  182 


Standards, 

accepting  current,  b,  p.  74 
of  aesthetic  expression,  Sec. 

1,  p.,171 

Sublimation  of  non-Christian 
customs,  Sec.  5,  p.  40 
Sunday  observance,  Chapt. 
VI,  pp.  142-156 
by  Christians,  Sec.  2,  p.  145 
by  non-Christians,  Sec.  1,  p. 
142 

for  illiterates,  Sec.  3,  p.  151 
games,  Sec.  4,  p.  153 
time  limits,  Sec.  5,  p.  155 
Superstition, 

among  Christians,  a,  p.  18 
among  non-Christians,  Sec.  2, 
p.  24 

Swastika,  the,  c,  p.  64 
Symbols,  choice  of,  Sec.  5,  p. 
62 

Taoism,  priests,  e,  p.  67 
Thoughtlessness,  b,  p.  178 
Torii,  the,  b,  p.  63 
Touching  hands,  d,  p.  31 

Unhygienic  association,  d,  p.  75 

Veiled  faces,  a,  p.  30 

Widows,  remarriage  of,  f,  p. 

114 

Written  character,  the,  g,  p.  26 


189 


9 


. 


Date  Due 

. . 

vCf 

— » A  FA  '. — <9 

Ml' 

% 

% 

PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

